My Name is María Isabel

Ada, A. (1993). My name
is María Isabel. New
York: Aladdin Paperbacks. 

My Name is María Isabel

By Alma Flor Ada

Translated from Spanish to English by Ana M. Cerro

Illustrated by K. Dyble Thompson

Published by Aladdin Paperbacks

New York

1993

57 pages

My Name is María Isabel, also available in Spanish as Me llamo María Isabel, is the sweet story of a Hispanic little girl growing up in the United States. She's the new kid at school and she's nervous about her first day - it doesn't get any better when her teacher suggests they call her Mary instead. They already have two María's in the class, so María Isabel Salazar López, named for her Papá's mother María and her grandmother Chabela Isabel, becomes Mary López. María Isabel makes great friends with Marta Pérez and one of the other Marías and decides school won't be so bad - however, she misses Puerto Rico and wishes her teacher would call her by her real name. One day in school, María Isabel's teacher announces that there will be a Winter Pageant - María Isabel misses the announcement and doesn't get a part because she was too busy thinking about the beautiful snow that has fallen outside and doesn't recognize that her teacher is talking to her when she says "Mary López". María Isabel is heartbroken - she would love nothing more than to be in the Winter Pageant! Fortunately, María Isabel gets to express her feelings in her class assignment - an essay titled "My Greatest Wish". María Isabel explains that she wishes to be called María Isabel and that she wants to have a part in the Winter Pageant - she loves the song about the candles of Hanukkah. Finally, María Isabel's teacher announces that María Isabel Salazar López (not Mary López!) will sing the lead in "The Candles of Hanukkah". María Isabel sings her heart out. 

Purchase the English version.

Purchase the Spanish version. 

I love My Name is María Isabel - it is a great story about heritage and cultural self-identity. It's a story many children, especially children living in the United States from other countries, can relate to.  Any young child can easily relate to the story; the theme of not fitting in and the fear of not being liked is a universal theme. The story is a study of heritage and how integral it is in an individual's sense of self. It shows us how important our names are as one of our most prized possessions - sometimes, one of the only possessions a child might have. I would recommend this book to any teacher (or student studying to become a teacher) - ESL or not! - because it teaches the importance of respecting every student's cultural identity. 

The book is an easy read and students as young as five could understand it; however, I would recommend this book for students eight and up because they are more able to understand the deeper themes present in the story. The book is very short and has a few illustrations making it perfect for young readers. The artwork is black and white pencil or charcoal and it placed sporadically in the text. Some of the illustrations even incorporate María Isabel's thoughts - for example, when she is reading Charlotte's Web in bed, there is a shadow of a spider web on the wall behind her. 

Ideas for the classroom

• Ask students if they have ever started a new school - how did they feel? What was it like?
• Have every student share where their name comes from or why they were named what they are - some students might not know, so give them a heads up so they can go home and ask their parents.
• Make a nameplate and decorate it with things that you like or that represent you.
• Charlotte's Web is a motif in the book. On a paper plate or piece of paper, have students create their own web. You could have them incorporate things that are important to them at the end of each line or have them write about something that "connects" them to their classmates on the back.
• Have students write an essay about their own "greatest wish".

Don't forget to study the author, Alma Flor Ada! 

Her website includes information on all of her children and adult publications, activity pages, mini-lessons, an author study, handouts, information on homeschool interaction, and much more. 

Visit her website here.