THE NAME SOUP

Embarrassed by her long, unusual last name, an 8-year old girl discovers a reason to be proud of her heritage in Pillalamarri’s debut children’s book.

Leela Kongkitisoupchai is excited about her first day of second grade, when she’ll reunite with old friends and meet new ones. But her excitement quickly turns to shame and anger when, during roll call, her teacher stumbles on the pronunciation of her name and some fellow students in the class tease her. One boy says, “Could you get me some soup and maybe some chai tea too while you’re at it, pleaseee?” Adding to Leela’s angst is the upcoming mandatory class talent show; she has no idea what she’ll do. At an after-school trip to the grocery store, she encounters classmate Aleph Boker, who’s working behind the bakery counter. He’s sympathetic to her plight, and they find a common bond: “Hey, did you know that my last name is sort of funny too? It is Boker which actually means Baker in Hebrew!” Aleph opens Leela’s eyes to the possibility of finding meaning in her surname, but she’s convinced that hers must mean “nothing cool except for some yucky old soup and some stale cold chai tea.” Finally, after two days of moping, she confides her feelings to her grandmother, who reveals the story behind their family name, and Leela is both astonished and proud. Young readers will delight in Leela’s brave, surprising performance at the talent show. Pillalamarri does a fine job of developing her characters. Leela is an appealing protagonist who’s inquisitive, smart and sensitive. The lovely illustrations, featuring the spunky, freckled Leela, bring the perfectly chosen scenes to vivid life. The prose is smooth, and the dialogue rings with authenticity throughout. However, there are a few places where the narrative starts to drag, particularly the point where Leela attends a baby-naming ritual. Pillalamarri also includes ideas for lessons on genealogy and etymology, including three worksheets for classroom use.

A solid introduction to discovering one’s own heritage that also teaches respect for others’.