My Name is Elizabeth! by Annika Dunklee and Matthew Forsythe

This little girl's name is Elizabeth. She loves her name! She loves that it has nine letters; she loves that there's a Queen with the same name. She loves the way it sounds and the way it makes her mouth feels. But she doesn't love it when people call her something other than Elizabeth. Her grandfather calls her Lizzy, a friend calls her Liz, and the crossing guard calls her Betsy (which isn't even close). Doesn't anyone understand that her name is Elizabeth?!

I really identified with this book, both because I love my name and because it's often mangled by other people. It's such a simple concept but I think that even as a small child I would have cheered as Elizabeth stood up to the others and insisted on being called by her full and proper name. Even those who don't suffer from forced nicknames will still see a small child making choices about her identity and that's a very powerful message. The blue-based illustrations by Matthew Forsythe were right on point and helped to make this a book for kids and adults alike. This one was on all kinds of "Best of" lists for 2011 so make sure to check it out for yourself.

(Also, it amused me that the French-language version of this book is "Je m'appelle Catherine!" What? Her name's Elizabeth!)

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
Ojingogo by Matthew Forsythe
What Shall We Call Wibbly's Puppy? by Mick Inkpen
Olivia by Ian Falconer