Three Names of Me
by Mary Cummings
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Book Summary Information
Author: Mary CummingsIllustrator: Lin Wang
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-01-01
ISBN: 0807579033
Number of pages: 40
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Book Reviews of Three Names of Me
Book Review: A beautiful launching point for conversations
Summary: 5 Stars
Children who were adopted internationally have a lifelong challenge ahead, to balance the mystery in their first years with the life they know today, and to incorporate their ethnic and American selves into the adult life they will lead tomorrow. I was grateful to find Three Names of Me, by Mary Cummings, because it presents the perspective of a preteen girl who is living with these complexities.
Ada Lorane Wang Bin Bennett was adopted from China as a baby, and is living with her family in America. For special projects, she writes out her whole name. She includes a heart for her third name, Ada, which her parents chose. For her second name, Wang Bin, which came from her orphanage, she includes a crown for "the refined Chinese princess part of me". But she also includes a star "for the name I only heard once, the name before my remembering." The mystery of her first name is mentioned gently. "It's someplace in my heart. I don't know how to say it. I wish I could." Her early life is also included, with small hints of emotion, but in a simple way that allows the reader to identify his or her own feelings.
I read this separately with each of my daughters. When we read that Ada does not like people staring at her family, but she does like "hot dogs, stuffed animals, and roller coaster rides", my nine year old daughter immediately responded that she agrees with everything except the roller coaster rides. When I read the book with my five year old daughter, she spent a lot of time examining the pictures of Ada as a baby. They each responded to Ada as a real person (which of course she is, the daughter of the author.)
The strength of the book is not only its young protagonist, but that it provides a means to discuss adoption or heritage issues with your child as you read it together. While the beautifully illustrated story is short, it is also chock full of launching points for conversation. I recommend it as a good book to read together with your kids once a while just as a way to check in on how they feel about their heritage and about their adoption.
Summary of Three Names of Me
Ada has three names. Wang Bin is what the caregivers called her at her Chinese orphanage. Ada is the name her American parents gave her. And there is a third name, a name the infant Ada only heard whispered by her Chinese mother.Adoption Books
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