What’s in a name? For one little girl, her very long name tells the vibrant story of where she came from — and who she may one day be. (Summary and image from penguinrandomhouse.com)
NOTE(for my English-speaking Friends): There is an English-language version of this book. However, as I bought this book in it's original Spanish version, I've opted to include a review in Spanish. If you don't speak Spanish, that's okay. Just skip down a little for my English review. If you speak both...well, as you will soon be able to tell, my Spanish isn't that great. Please don't laugh at me or send me hate mail. I'm trying/Estoy tratando.
Mi Evaluacíon: Me llamo Mindy y yo hablo español. Pues. Hablo un poquito. Con lo que sé y la ayuda de mi esposo y "Google Tranlsate," ojala que puedo decir lo que quiero decir en español y que no he masacrado el idioma. Empecemos!
Mi primer hija tiene el nombre de su bisa, su abuelo, y nuestro nombre familiar. Es un nombre muy antiguo, de Finlandia, y difícil de pronunciar. A veces, ella no le gusta el nombre. "Es horrible! Nadie puede decirlo," ella dice! Mi hija y la niña en este libro tienen algo en común.
Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela no le gusta su nombre. Ella piensa que es muy largo y no le cabe. Su padre se sentó con ella para explicar el origen de cada de sus nombres. Ella apprendió que cada nombre representa uno de sus antepasados. Alma entendió que ella tiene algo en común con cada persona. Aquí es un ejemplo:
Que linda, sí?
Cuando encontré este libro en una feria de libro, me enamoré al instante. Era tan hermoso y con un mensaje muy importante, yo tenía que tenerlo. No habia un version en ingles a la venta el dia, pero yo no me importé. Aunque mis niñas no hablan español (todavía), yo compré el libro para un cuento de acostar y esperanzé que podria traducir. Es un cuento bellamente escrito, con dibujos fascinantes en cada pagina. Pero, el mensaje es mas importante. Pienso qu el cuento muestra como apreciar nuestra historia y que nuestras diferencias eran lo que nos hacen especial. Ojala que yo podria decir mas, pero me falta las palabras. En conclusión, si tiene niñas o nietas (especialmente aquellas con nombres muy largas), tiene que comprar este libro en cualquier idioma que requieran.
Mi Clasificación: 5 Estrellas
Para el lector sensible: No hay nada a ofender.
My Review: My eldest daughter is named after her great-great-great grandmother, as well as my mother, and has our family last name. Both her first and last name are old-fashioned, Finnish, and difficult to pronounce. Occasionally, it gets to her and she says something along the lines of -- "I hate my name! It's horrible! No one can say it!" She and the little girl in this book have quite a lot in common.
Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela does not like her name. She thinks it's too long and she feels it does not fit her. When Alma complains to her father, he sits down with her to explain the origin of each of their names and she learns that each name represents one of her ancestors. As her father tells her about them, Alma discovers that she has something in common with each of her namesakes. For example, in the first picture (above) she learns that her grandmother Sofía loved books, poetry, jasmine flowers, and her son (Alma's father). In the second picture, Alma realizes that she loves books, flowers, and her Papa too! The name Sofía does fit her! And so on and so forth with the rest of her names. Beautiful, right?
When I found this book at our school book fair, I fell in love with it instantly. It was so beautiful and with such an important message that I had to have it. There wasn't an English version at the sale, but that didn't matter to me. Although my children don't speak Spanish (yet), I bought the book as a bedtime story and hoped I would be able to translate it. I made it work and my girls really enjoyed it. This book is beautifully written with fascinating illustrations on every page, but the message is the most important part. It teaches readers to appreciate their heritage and that what makes us different can also make us special. If you have a little girl (and most especially a little girl with a long family name), or if you are a girl with a long family name, you should probably pick this one up in whichever language version you require.
My Rating: 5 Stars
For the sensitive reader: Nothing to worry about.