Your Name Is a Song
When a girl's name is mispronounced at school, her mother teaches her that names can be songs. The story encourages children to embrace their heritage through a musical celebration of diverse names from many languages.
Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is estimated to take about 9.5 minutes to read aloud (800 words, about 2 sentences a page), and it lands best with children aged 4-6.
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- Estimated read-aloud time
- about 9.5 minutesEstimated read-aloud time
- Word count
- 800Counted words
- Sentences per page
- 2Sentences per page
- Re-read tolerance
- 4/5repeat friendly
- Vocabulary level
- 3/5a few new words
- Best for
- Ages 4-6Our editorial fit
Our review
This book uses rhythm and repetition to turn a potentially upsetting moment of social friction into a moment of pride. It provides a wonderful way for children to see their own names reflected in a beautiful way.
The inclusion of many real names makes this a highly interactive experience. It works best when the names are actually sung, turning the reading into a joyful, musical event.
Before you buy it
For this seven-and-a-half-minute book to work, you actually have to sing the names. If you just read them, the core idea of the book falls apart.
Themes
- names
- music
- mothers
- school
- Black and Muslim families
Books like Your Name Is a Song
Matched by refrain, density, length, and listener—not just the subject.
My Name Is Yoonabout 10 minutes estimated · 3/5 re-read
Alma and How She Got Her Nameabout 5.5 minutes estimated · 4/5 re-read
Chrysanthemumabout 12 minutes estimated · 4/5 re-read
The Day You Beginabout 7.5 minutes estimated · 4/5 re-read
Danbi Leads the School Paradeabout 4.5 minutes estimated · 4/5 re-read
Questions parents ask
How long does it take to read Your Name Is a Song aloud?
About 9.5 minutes at an unhurried pace, including a standard allowance for page turns, pictures and participation, from a word count of 800. Stopping for a longer conversation on every page will add more time.
What age is Your Name Is a Song actually for?
Ages 4-6 in our testing, which is narrower than the publisher's range. With 2 sentences a page and vocabulary at 3 out of 5, it asks for that much attention span and no more.
Does Your Name Is a Song survive being read on repeat?
Yes. It survives a fortnight of nightly repeats, which is the real test.
Is Your Name Is a Song a good book for a child who will not sit still?
It helps that it has a refrain a child can join in with, and it asks the child questions to answer out loud. Those three features are what keep a wriggling toddler listening, far more than the subject matter does.
Will my child memorise Your Name Is a Song?
Probably, and fast. The book leans on a repeated refrain, and at 4 out of 5 for re-read tolerance it survives the nightly repeats that get a book memorised. Expect your child to chant the pattern back before they can actually read.
Can a beginning reader read Your Name Is a Song on their own?
Not yet. At vocabulary level 3 out of 5 and 2 sentences a page, it is a read-aloud book rather than a first solo read. Read it to them now, and hand it over in a year or two.
What themes does Your Name Is a Song cover?
We tag it with names, music, mothers, school and Black and Muslim families. Those are the threads that actually run through the book, not just the ones on the cover, which is how it earns its place on our themed lists rather than a keyword match.
