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Review: Alma and How She Got Her Name

May 1, 2018April 17, 2018 Jane the Raincity Librarian Post a comment

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If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too many names: six! How did such a small person wind up with such a large name? Alma turns to Daddy for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; José, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes, too. As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all — and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell. In her author-illustrator debut, Juana Martinez-Neal opens a treasure box of discovery for children who may be curious about their own origin stories or names.

Alma Sofia Esperanca Jose Pura Candela has too many names! What a mouthful! With the help of her Daddy, Alma discovers all the incredible family members whose stories live on in her and in her names.

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Author-illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal’s debut is a beautiful, sensitive story of family, and the many people who have come before us, and whose lives have helped shape us and make us who we are.

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While Sofia is a part of all the family members who have come before her, she is also an individual, with her own stories to tell. She is named after many wonderful people, but in the end, she is the first Alma in her family, and the one and only Alma Sofia Esperanca Jose Pura Candela.

Alma and How She Got Her Name is beautifully-illustrated, sweetly written, and absolutely charming. Definitely worth checking out, however many names you have!

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Jane is a tea-drinking Canadian picture book author with a rather sizeable cardigan collection.

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