Author Study - The Name Jar

Unhei is the new kid in school. Having recently emigrated from Korea, Unhei and her family are adjusting to life in the United States. It is Unhei's first few days at school and she is excited, but nervous that the American kids will not like her. Having a name like Unhei proves to be a difficult thing because no one on the bus can pronounce it and, unfortunately, some children have made fun of her. When she arrives to her classroom, Unhei decides that she doesn't want her Korean name anymore. Instead, she will adopt an American name. 

Unhei does not tell her classmates her name and they work to help her choose a new name for herself. Her new classmates decide to fill a glass jar with names for her to pick from. Unhei practices American names in the mirror to see which ones fit best. When a classmate is in her neighborhood and discovers her real name and its meaning, the name jar mysteriously disappears. The entire class looks for the jar, but they can't find it. 

Luckily, Unhei had already chosen a name for herself. She tells the teacher that she's ready to introduce herself to her classmates. After much thought, she introduces herself as Unhei. Rather than choose an American name that was not special to her, she chose to keep her name because of its meaning and beauty. She learned to appreciate it and her new friends learned to pronounce it perfectly. 

This was such a great story with a beautiful message! I enjoyed reading about Unhei and could definitely relate to her struggles—although mine may have been a little different. The the aspect of this book I enjoyed the most was the classroom environment that the author created. It was so accepting and welcoming, which is something that I strive to have in my classroom one day. 

I think that this is a great story to share with young readers, especially at the beginning of the school year. It reminded me a lot of another book, Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. It teaches about acceptance of others and oneself and promotes a positive message to students. It teaches that we should respect others and their cultural and racial differences. It would also be a great way to introduce writing about a name for a writing entry. 

The Name Jar 
By: Yangsook Choi 
Published in 2003