by Yangsook Choi
Published by Dragonfly Books
Across the globe from where she was born, Unhei bravely begins school in the United States. After an unpleasant first encounter with students on the bus leaves her feeling embarrassed and hesitant to share her name, Unhei decides to tell her class she will choose a name in a week. To her surprise, there is a jar on her desk with name suggestions from her classmates the following day. When she shares this name quest with her mother, her mother reminds her that her name was picked by a name master just for her, and just because they live in America now does not mean that they will stop being Korean.
A few days later, on a rainy day, a boy in her class named Joey walks up and asks her if she genuinely doesn’t have a name, so Unhei says she can show him her name with a wooden block and ink pad that her grandmother gave her as a gift before they left Korea. He is so enamored with this print of her name on the paper that he asks if he can keep it.
As the story unravels and the name jar goes missing, Unhei decides that she was grateful for the suggestions, but she likes her given name and where it came from. After just a moment, with some practice and patience, her peers and her teacher say her name correctly and express their happiness that she chose her given name. Through the help of her family and her new friend Joey, Unhei realizes that her Korean heritage and identity are what makes her, her.
Yangsook Choi takes us on Unhei’s identity journey by highlighting the importance of heritage while facing assimilation challenges in the United States. Although people often shy away from “name” books due to their tone, Yangsook tells this story with powerful feelings that showcase the complexities of immigration for students in an age-appropriate and empathetic way. This book is an excellent choice for classrooms in upper elementary grades as a mirror book for students who have recently immigrated or as a window for students to empathize with their peers and dive into identity and diversity issues.
I love the boldness of Unhei. Although she initially experiences uncertainty and shame, she perseveres. My sister-in-law is filipino and this story reminded me of her experiences – I wish she could’ve read this when she was young.
Yes! The story really disrupts the idea of “quiet girls.” Unhei is fierce.
The fact that we can choose to change our names makes it all the more meaningful when Unhei decides to keep hers. What a beautiful mirror book, reflecting a very specific yet shared experience of so many immigrant children. This sounds like a great addition to any classroom.
I just put The Name Jar on hold at the library and I’m so excited to read it to my students! We have several Korean-American students in our school, so I appreciate that this book is also written by a Korean-American person. Thank you for posting!