by Huda Essa (Author)
This fun yet meaningful story was created to empower children to teach others how to pronounce their names correctly. Embracing the diversity of our names is one of the first steps we can take to show our appreciation of diversity and inclusion. Everyone has a name and every name has a story. Use this book to encourage children to honor their own stories and respectfully learn from the stories of others. This book lends itself to countless invaluable discussions about cultural norms, languages, unconscious bias, and much more. This is the perfect start of the school year or anytime of the year book that can be used to foster invaluable discussions about diversity and inclusion. For more information about the topic and to learn about the author's inspiration, watch her TED Talk, "Your Name is the Key". This video is a great resource to use with older children and adults. This can be used as a discussion starter in many ways from use in classrooms and staff meetings to sharing on social media. You can also access other free resources on the topic of names at the author's website: culturelinksllc.com
Author Biography
Huda Essa is a long-time teacher and diversity consultant. Her experiences of teaching diverse groups of students has led her to create this book which is meant to empower all children to be confident in exploring and being proud of their many identities. Her many years of work with children and educators has made her an expert at what children enjoy in stories as well as what resources teachers and parents need to support culturally responsive practices and self esteem building. This book will serve as a wonderful piece which can yield invaluable discussions about the importance of embracing diversity and our many important identities.