Tomatoes in my lunchbox

A child whose family has recently immigrated feels uncomfortable at her new school. From her name, which her teachers and classmates mispronounce, to the whole tomato in her lunch, which leaves stains on her dress, everything about her seems different and wrong. Though her mother encourages her to make friends, she doesn't know how. She tries imitating a classmate, but that doesn't work. On the playground, Chloe asks about her name. The child explains that it was her grandmother's, and remembering her beloved namesake, she smiles. Soon afterwards, when Chloe forgets her lunch, the girl shares her tomato. As the two classmates become friends, other children begin to accept the new girl, too. The mispronunciation of names and the foods seen as "weird" at lunchtime are common occurrences in tales of immigrant children, but this picture book, narrated by the girl, makes the outsider's experience more understandable to others. The illustrations, digital collages created with inks, pastels, and water-soluble crayons, are richly colorful and emotionally resonant. An expressive picture book that articulates a young immigrant's viewpoint.

"I don't recognize my name at roll call the first time. The teacher says it like it's too hard to understand." And when other children say it, confides the brown-skinned child narrator of this sensitively articulated picture book: "It sounds like a question every time." Manoli, whose first name inspired this debut, offers exposition via emotional phrases that discuss how "we left the place/ where my name fit" and came to a place where "our things look weird.../ My clothes are weird.../ The whole tomato in my lunchbox is weird." Swaths of color dominate Mora's lushly wrought illustrations as the protagonist tries to fit in with other children, portrayed with varying skin tones. But trying to be like others "doesn't fit me." Soon, advice from the child's grandmother leads to a tentative friendship, and the eventual feeling that "my name is not a question anymore." Ages 4--8. (June)

K-Gr 2--A girl who recently immigrated from an unnamed country struggles to fit in while her teacher and new classmates struggle to pronounce her name. Inspired by the author's own life, this tale begins with the protagonist's first day at school as her new teacher attempts to say her name during roll call, but the girl doesn't even recognize it. "The teacher says it like it's too hard to understand. Then she says it again, one syllable at a time. It's strange and sharp, and sounds like something is breaking." And that's just the beginning--when eating her lunch, a whole, big, and delicious tomato that reminds her of her homeland, it squirts onto her shirt, reminding everyone of how different she is. She tries to adopt a new, Anglicized name, along with a new identity, but she knows that it doesn't quite fit. Plus, she'd be denying her true home and the person for whom she was named--her beloved grandmother. When she connects with a new friend by just being herself, the main character embraces her name, her culture, and herself. Molina's text is lovely and achingly poignant. The lyrical narrative has a dreamlike quality, seamlessly taking readers from the little girl's present home to her country of origin. Mora's illustrations are warmly rendered with inks, pastels, and crayons, and will immerse readers in the little girl's inner world. The main character has light brown skin and her classmates have a range of skin colors and hair textures. VERDICT An excellent choice for back to school and "new kid" picture book collections. This will resonate with many readers. Highly recommended.--Shelley M. Diaz

"There is a whole world in my name. I carry it with me. It's heavy carrying your whole world around with you all the time." After the young narrator leaves home for life in a new country far away, her once-beautiful name morphs into something ugly when her teacher tries to pronounce it at school roll call. Her name -- soft, comforting, and reminiscent of her beloved grandmother -- becomes "strange," "sharp," or, worse, "like something breaking." Adding to her feeling of foreignness: no one else's school lunch contains a large tomato to be eaten whole. Eventually, the narrator and another girl bond over their shared love of the color yellow and become friends. Soon she has a circle of friends who have learned to pronounce her name so that it "sounds like home." Double-page spreads in ink, pastel, and crayon highlight the initial contrasts between the narrator's old home and her new one. Illustrations focus on food and family, the book's visual metaphors for difference, while the color yellow becomes a visual through-line for the theme of connectedness. A comforting book for a child who may feel isolated due to an uncommon name, or for one feeling uprooted and adrift in a new place. An author's note provides personal context. Julie Hakim Azzam July/August 2022 p.93(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A young immigrant doesn't recognize their own name when students and teachers say it aloud; it's like "it doesn't fit in their mouths." The narrator has come to a new country, and their heart aches for home (neither their name nor their nation of origin is mentioned in the text). They left "the place where [their] name fit" for a world full of Emmas and Olivias and Sophies. Believing life would be easier as an Emma, the narrator tries to be like a classmate, but that doesn't quite fit either. The tomatoes in their lunchbox don't help. They bite into them like an apple, spilling seeds all over their shirt. The narrator then remembers advice from their grandmother: "A smile can lighten a heavy load." A timid smile leads to tentative friendship with one classmate, then another, as slowly the protagonist starts to realize they do belong here. This is a beautifully told and illustrated story that expresses, with sensitivity and inspired use of figurative language, a child's attempt to fit with the dominant culture--a common experience that will resonate with many readers and inspire empathy in others. Rich, vivid illustrations make superb use of color and convey a sense of movement. The main character is brown-skinned; the classmates are diverse in terms of skin tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A poetic book about the power of a smile and what it means to find home. (afterword) (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A child whose family has recently immigrated feels uncomfortable at her new school. From her name, which her teachers and classmates mispronounce, to the whole tomato in her lunch, which leaves stains on her dress, everything about her seems different and wrong. Though her mother encourages her to make friends, she doesn't know how. She tries imitating a classmate, but that doesn't work. On the playground, Chloe asks about her name. The child explains that it was her grandmother's, and remembering her beloved namesake, she smiles. Soon afterwards, when Chloe forgets her lunch, the girl shares her tomato. As the two classmates become friends, other children begin to accept the new girl, too. The mispronunciation of names and the foods seen as "weird" at lunchtime are common occurrences in tales of immigrant children, but this picture book, narrated by the girl, makes the outsider's experience more understandable to others. The illustrations, digital collages created with inks, pastels, and water-soluble crayons, are richly colorful and emotionally resonant. An expressive picture book that articulates a young immigrant's viewpoint. Preschool-Grade 3. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

"I don't recognize my name at roll call the first time. The teacher says it like it's too hard to understand." And when other children say it, confides the brown-skinned child narrator of this sensitively articulated picture book: "It sounds like a question every time." Manoli, whose first name inspired this debut, offers exposition via emotional phrases that discuss how "we left the place/ where my name fit" and came to a place where "our things look weird.../ My clothes are weird.../ The whole tomato in my lunchbox is weird." Swaths of color dominate Mora's lushly wrought illustrations as the protagonist tries to fit in with other children, portrayed with varying skin tones. But trying to be like others "doesn't fit me." Soon, advice from the child's grandmother leads to a tentative friendship, and the eventual feeling that "my name is not a question anymore." Ages 4–8. (June)

K-Gr 2—A girl who recently immigrated from an unnamed country struggles to fit in while her teacher and new classmates struggle to pronounce her name. Inspired by the author's own life, this tale begins with the protagonist's first day at school as her new teacher attempts to say her name during roll call, but the girl doesn't even recognize it. "The teacher says it like it's too hard to understand. Then she says it again, one syllable at a time. It's strange and sharp, and sounds like something is breaking." And that's just the beginning—when eating her lunch, a whole, big, and delicious tomato that reminds her of her homeland, it squirts onto her shirt, reminding everyone of how different she is. She tries to adopt a new, Anglicized name, along with a new identity, but she knows that it doesn't quite fit. Plus, she'd be denying her true home and the person for whom she was named—her beloved grandmother. When she connects with a new friend by just being herself, the main character embraces her name, her culture, and herself. Molina's text is lovely and achingly poignant. The lyrical narrative has a dreamlike quality, seamlessly taking readers from the little girl's present home to her country of origin. Mora's illustrations are warmly rendered with inks, pastels, and crayons, and will immerse readers in the little girl's inner world. The main character has light brown skin and her classmates have a range of skin colors and hair textures. VERDICT An excellent choice for back to school and "new kid" picture book collections. This will resonate with many readers. Highly recommended.—Shelley M. Diaz