My Name Is Elizabeth!

by Annika Dunklee, Matthew Forsythe (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet Elizabeth. She's got an excellent pet duck, a loving granddad and a first name that's just awesome. After all, she's got a queen named after her! So she's really not amused when people insist on using nicknames like "Lizzy" and "Beth." She bears her frustration in silence until an otherwise ordinary autumn day, when she discovers her power to change things once and for all. In the process, Elizabeth learns about communication and respect — and their roles in building better relationships with family and friends. The two-toned illustrations reflect the story's energy and sass, and the comic-book-like format makes it easy to follow. The cheeky, retro drawings also keep it real — depicting the sometimes-feisty Elizabeth as a resolutely normal kid — whether she's flossing her teeth or feeding her pet duck.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554535606
Publisher:	Kids Can Press, Limited
Publication date:	09/01/2011
Pages:	24
Sales rank:	267,133
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD280L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Annika Dunklee was born in Uppsala, Sweden, to a Scottish father and a Swedish mother. She bases a lot of her stories on her own childhood memories. My Name Is Elizabeth! was inspired by anyone who dislikes having his or her name shortened, lengthened, mispronounced or mangled in some way.

Editorial Reviews

Gregarious Elizabeth, who pals around with her pet duck, simply adores her name. She likes that it's nine letters long, and she likes the way her mouth feels when she says it. What she doesn't like is when people call her things other than Elizabeth. "Come give your old granddad a hug, Lizzy," says grandpa (Elizabeth sighs in response). To a boy on a bicycle, she's Liz; a man delivering fruit calls her Beth; and the crossing-guard refers to her as Betsy. "Not. Even. Close," grumbles Elizabeth. Finally, she's had enough and, towering over the neighborhood like Godzilla, hollers out, "My name is Elizabeth Alfreda Roxanne Carmelita Bluebell Jones!! But you may call me Elizabeth." After that, no one gets her name wrong--except her little brother, but Elizabeth lets that one slide. A mix of spot art and larger, more developed scenes, Forsythe's matte, mixed-media illustrations have a distinctly retro vibe with their wavy ink outlines and an orange and sky-blue color scheme. Readers who take pride in their names (especially those who have had their names butchered) may be similarly moved to express that ownership vocally. Ages 3–7. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Children who have had similar experiences will certainly relate to Elizabeth and may be inspired by her directness.—School Library Journal

This isn't just a book about one particular name. It's about making it clear to the world who you really are. A lesson some grown-ups could stand to learn as well.—Elizabeth Bird, SLJ.com

This debut picture-book offering from Dunklee and Forsythe is close enough to perfect in its tone, pacing and interplay between words and pictures: Wonderful.—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

The book itself is close to perfect.—The New York Times

Readers who take pride in their names (especially those who have had their names butchered) may be similarly moved to express that ownership vocally.—Publishers Weekly

First-time children's author Annika Dunklee hits the mark with a spunky character who is guaranteed to charm early readers and parents alike.—Quill & Quire

From the Publisher

"My name is Elizabeth," the young narrator of this charming picture book announces to the reader. And, we soon find out, Elizabeth loves her name: she loves its nine letters, she loves the feel of it on her tongue, and she loves its association with royalty. What she does not love is any of its many nicknames: Lizzy, Liz, Beth, and worst of all, Betsy: "Not. EVEN. CLOSE." In fact, Elizabeth prefers her entire full name, Elizabeth Alfreda Roxanne Carmelita Bluebell Jones. But she is willing to settle for Elizabeth—and even, in the narration's closing twist, for "Wizabef?" from a little sibling: "Close enough." Elizabeth's enthusiasm for her name is infectious and should strike a chord with any child ever given an unwelcome moniker that fails to do justice to the majesty of his or her christened name. Forsythe's illustrations match Elizabeth's old-fashioned (but enduringly popular) name with appropriately retro art, in black, white, burnt orange, and blue-gray, reminiscent of color-separated illustrations of past decades, all adding up to a pleasing package that offers support to nickname resisters everywhere. Reviewer: Claudia Mills, Ph.D.

Children's Literature - Claudia Mills

PreS-Gr 1—Confident, precocious Elizabeth is very proud of her nine-letter name that she shares with a queen, but she is fed up with family, friends, and neighbors using nicknames like Lizzy, Liz, Beth, and Betsy. Finally at her breaking point, she stands in the middle of town and shouts: "My NAME is ELIZABETH Alfreda Roxanne Carmelita Bluebell Jones!!" then adding more calmly, "But you may call me Elizabeth." Everyone respects her wishes except for her baby brother. His attempt comes out as "Wizabef," which she acknowledges is close enough. The digitally rendered pen-and-ink illustrations in pale blue, bright orange, and black give the book a classic, vintage feel and perfectly complement and expand on the spare text, all contained in speech bubbles. Children who have had similar experiences will certainly relate to Elizabeth and may be inspired by her directness; others might think twice before assigning nicknames to youngsters without asking their preference first. This book will pair nicely with Kevin Henkes's Chrysanthemum (HarperCollins, 1991).—Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL

School Library Journal

Don't call her Betsy.

After all, though she may seem part Olivia and part Lilly (with just a smidgen of Chrysanthemum), right on the cover the protagonist declares, "My name is Elizabeth!" She then lauds the virtues of her "nine letters long" moniker,concluding, "I also like that there is a queen named after me!" Alas, Elizabeth must fend off "Lizzy," "Liz," "Beth" and "Betsy's" aplenty as her granddad, a neighborhood boy, a merchant and a crossing guard greet her with these nicknames. Never bratty, this girl simply knows who she is and what she wants to be called. Forsythe's restrained color palette and expressive line contribute to his brilliant rendering of Elizabeth's character, and his whimsical inclusion of a pet duck (unmentioned in the text) adds another layer of idiosyncratic delight. A double whammy of a punch line first shows readers that "Elizabeth" isn't quite the mouthful her full name is and then underscores her true sweetness when she acquiesces to having her heretofore-silent baby brother call her "Wizabef?" "Close enough," she thinks.

This debut picture-book offering from Dunklee and Forsythe is close enough to perfect in its tone, pacing and interplay between words and pictures: Wonderful. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews