The Name Jar by Author and Illustrator Yangsook Choi

Unhei recently left her home in Korea to live in the United States. On her first day at school, she is asked her name, but she is too embarrassed to tell the other children her Korean name because she wants to fit in. Her classmates are desperate to know why she does not have a name and create a name jar for her to pick a name. Each day she comes to school, her classmates give her name suggestions and drop them in the name jar so that she will eventually pick one. The day she is to pick her name, she comes to school to find the name jar missing, but she still decides to keep her Korean name. Later she finds out Joey, one of her classmates, had taken the jar so Unhei would keep her real name. She thanks Joey for his help, and the story ends happily. Author Yangsook Choi uses her "own experience, interweaving several issues into this touching account and delicately addressing the challenges of assimilation." ("Unhei has just," 2001)

Critical Analysis

The Name Jar is a narrative in the third person with themes that include assimilation and friendship. Cultural details include the Korean language and food. Yangsook Choi illustrates authentically represents Korean physical features like skin tone. Similarly, she includes Korean alphabet characters throughout the story. Her illustrations "are done in creamy, earth-tone oils" that will give readers a calming feeling when they read. ("Unhei has just," 2001) Choi grew up in Korea, which adds to the story's authenticity for children living in a new culture.

The story's strength is that it provides comfort for children moving into cultures different from their own. Its weakness is that Unhei's classmate Joey takes the name jar without permission and does not receive consequences for his action. Readers may enjoy American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, which contains a similar theme concerning fitting into American society.

References

Choi, Y. (2013). The Name Jar. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

"Unhei has just". (2001, July 10). The Name Jar. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved July 28, 2022, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/yangsook-choi/the-name-jar/