What’s in a name? For one little girl, her very long name tells the vibrant story of where she came from — and who she may one day be.

If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too many names: six! How did such a small person wind up with such a large name?

Alma turns to Daddy for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; José, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes, too.

As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all - and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell. In her author-illustrator debut, Juana Martinez-Neal opens a treasure box of discovery for children who may be curious about their own origin stories or names.

• The universal ritual of listening to one's birth story or the story of one's name is here delightfully enhanced by the cultural specificity of young Alma's situation: she has many names, each honoring a member of her extended family!
• Juana Martinez-Neal is not new to children's book illustration, but Candlewick Press has the privilege of publishing her first book as author-illustrator. She has another picture book coming from Houghton Mifflin and two more signed up with us, so expect to see her star rise rapidly!
• A picture book by a Peruvian-born artist builds Candlewick's growing list of diverse and own-voices titles.