Little Dog Lost! I'm A Baked Potato by Elise Primavera

THERE WAS A LADY WHO LOVED BAKED POTATOES. SHE ATE ONE EVERY DAY.

SHE ALSO LOVED DOGS, AND ONE DAY SHE GOT ONE.

The dog was round and brown and warm, so she called him "Baked Potato." They ate together by the fire and slept together at night. But one day the nice lady went out.

Later the little dog went out the open door, too, and wandered far away. At last he met a dog, who wanted to bite him.

"YOU LOOK LIKE A GROUNDHOG!" HE SAID.

The little dog went on down the road, hoping to find the lady. It got darker and colder, and then he met a fox who invited him into his warm kitchen. The fox told the dog he looked more like a tasty bunny rabbit and opened his creepy oven door. But the little dog was rescued by a wise owl, who told him that he was not a baked potato or a groundhog or a bunny.

"YOU ARE A DOG, GOOD AT FINDING THINGS WITH YOUR NOSE!"

And the little dog sniffed his way back down the road where he met the Lady looking for him, and now he knows who he is and where he belongs.

It's a happy reunion, in Elise Primavera's simple book of self-discovery and coming home, I'm a Baked Potato! (Funny Children’s Book About a Pet Dog, Puppy Story) (Chronicle Books).

In this simple story of a little lost shaggy dog, veteran author Primavera takes on the big subject of what and who we are and where we belong, part of the important knowledge of early childhood. Artist Juan Medena provides the humorous textured and blackline drawings that make for this warm homecoming doggy tale and gives children a reason for chuckles at the obvious mis-identities applied to the main character. A good, somewhat silly, but cozy and reassuring story of belonging where love is.

What's In A Name? My Name is Wakawakaloch! by Chana Stiefel

"Wakawakaloch was in a volcanic mood.

Everyone is bungling her name.

"Walawala!"

"Wammabammasiamma!"

Lokamokacok!"

In every class--Sabertooth Safety Class, Boulder Rolling, even Club Club--her name is mangled.

Back at her cave, she complains.

Me changing my name to Gloop!"

Nobody says her name right, and for sure she'll never find a T-shirt with a name like Wakawakaloch on it!

Her family is dismayed. Wakawakaloch is a name that goes way back in their family. Pa thinks she's lost her pebbles and takes her for a consultation with Elder Mooch, the village's wisest Neanderthal.

Although Mooch smells like ripe mammoth poop, he gives her some good advice:

"My dear, you are forward thinker. You must be backwards seer, too."

And that night, as she tosses and turns on her polar bear skin, Wakawakaloch notices the carvings on the cave's wall, showing the brave and heroic acts of the great-great-great-great-great grandmother whose name is also hers. Awestruck, she places her hand on the print of her mighty ancestor. They match exactly!

Forget Gloop! With such a powerful name, she, too, can be great--beginning with creating T-shirts with everyone's name, in Chana Stiefel's brand-new My Name Is Wakawakaloch! (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019). This spoof of prehistoric name angst will give readers a giggle, but kids who have common names and those who have uncommon ones will be fascinated to learn that all names, even the most ordinary, have meanings--Mary means "beloved" and William means "willing protector!"

This humorous little story is a good way of opening up discussion of the conflict between fitting in and being yourself. There's a personalized T-shirt out there for all of us, and the Geisel Award-winning Mary Sullivan's comic faux-naif illustrations offer sight-gags that will give young readers plenty of reasons to chuckle and perhaps send them eagerly to a dictionary of names as well. This is a charming picture book that offers varied learning possibilities and deepens understandings of the power of a name.

A Rose by Any Other Name...: Quit Calling Me A MONSTER! by Jory John

JUST... STOP IT!

RIGHT THIS MINUTE!

He's over it! Scraggly arms akimbo and beady little eyes glowing, snaggly fangs in full view, this guy has had it up to here.

Just because he's covered with shaggy, purplish hair, has horns, some sorta sinister long claws and a scary, smirky smile that glows in the dark... how dare they call him a Monster?

Call a guy a monster, and everybody sees a monster when they look at him. It's stereotyping, that's what it is.

Sure, he prefers to conceal himself in closets. Yeah, he does a bit of howling now and again. But that doesn't mean he doesn't get his feelings hurt when people call him names!

"MOMMY!" YOU HOLLER, "SAVE ME FROM THAT ...

MONSTER!"

Can't a guy get some groceries? Can't a guy just try to read the nutrition label on the back of the box without being profiled? And can't a guy get few winks of shuteye under your bed? Have you ever heard the icky noises YOU make when you sleep?

And then there's the matter of manners! Why can't everyone else be polite?

YOU COULD LEARN SOMETHING FROM ME. I'M A MONSTER WITH EXCELLENT MANNERS.

UM..I DON'T MEAN... MONSTER, ACTUALLY....

OKAY, I'M... UM... SIGH... TECHNICALLY A MONSTER....

MY NAME IS FLOYD PETERSON.

And after all, who could be seriously scared of a guy named Floyd Peterson? (Sorry, real Floyd Petersons, but your name isn't scary!) In Jory John's jolly monster story, Quit Calling Me a Monster! (Random House, 2016), the name of the game IS the name. After all, when you get to know a guy, you know, like, his name and where he's coming from, he doesn't seem so bad. Author Jory John lets his semi-scary, dill-pickle-shaped protagonist speak for himself in a comic monster story just in time for the scary season. Jory John draws on the dean of silly monsters, artist Bob Shea, for the perfect monster with an image problem in a not-so creepy-critter tale that will give young readers some second-thoughts about name-calling.

For a double monster romp, pair this one with Jory John's and Bob Shea's I Will Chomp You! (read my earlier review here).

And Don't Call Me Junior! Thunder Boy, Jr. by Sherman Alexie

"I HATE MY NAME!

MY NAME IS THUNDER BOY. THUNDER BOY SMITH. THAT'S MY REAL NAME.

MY MOTHER WANTED TO NAME ME SAM."

Thunder Boy's name is hard to live up to. His dad looms larger than life in his eyes, a strong, powerful man with a booming voice whom everyone calls Big Thunder and who calls his son Little Thunder.

Little Thunder loves his dad, but he wants to make a name for himself, one that fits him well. He daydreams about new names that suit him.

He is brave, at least, he tries to be, so maybe he could be called NOT AFRAID OF A THOUSAND TEETH! He can climb a mountain. His name could be TOUCH THE CLOUDS. And he dreamed one night that his parents were the Sun and Moon, so maybe his name could be STAR BOY! He loves to dance at pow-wows. His name could be DRUMS, DRUMS, AND MORE DRUMS.

All those names sound a bit too grandiose, though. He remembers teaching himself to ride his little bike when he was three. Maybe he earned the name GRAVITY IS MY BEST FRIEND, or even MUD IN HIS EARS.

But in the Native American tradition, there are times when a new name is given, and somehow Dad seems to understand how his son feels.

"SON, I THINK IT'S TIME I GAVE YOU A NEW NAME, A NAME OF YOUR OWN."

National Book Award winner Sherman Alexie carefully crafts his story, building tension as Little Thunder seeks a new name that honors his father but feels like his own, in his just published Thunder Boy Jr. (Little, Brown and Company, 2016), and his wise father comes through the with perfect pairing for them both.

Artist Yuyi Morales, winner of the American Library Association's Pura Belpre' Award, (for Just a Minute!: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book (Pura Belpre Medal Book Illustrator (Awards)) skillfully uses contrasting colors and perspectives to convey the way Little Thunder sees his dad as a monumental force of nature and as a loving dad who helps his son find his own best name. The New York Times Book Review calls Sherman's story " ...a story that feels both modern and timeless, a joyous portrait of one boy's struggle to (literally) make a name for himself in the world, and Kirkus Reviews adds, "An expertly crafted, soulful, and humorous work that tenderly explores identity,culture, and the bond between father and son."