THAO

What’s in a name? And why does it matter?

Raise your hand if you can pronounce this book’s title….Anyone who has witnessed or been in a similarly awkward situation will appreciate why “it’s not easy being Thao.” Dressed in a festive outfit with matching red shoes, Thao literally sticks out, as her image appears to have been trimmed from a photograph and superimposed on a plain background, against which ethnically diverse children and adults are affixed as paper-collage figures gazing at her, the newcomer. The white border outlining her cutout concretizes the physical relocation and emotional reframing of the creator’s lived experience as an immigrant. Sparsely illustrated spreads focus readers’ attention on the young child’s self-conscious, anxious attempts to communicate with people who contort her name to nonsensical monikers that range from “Towel” or “Tofu” to “China Girl” and “Thao the Cow.” On the day she tries being “Jennifer,” her homemade lunch helps bolster her Vietnamese identity while turning the tables on those who do not know gỏi cuốn (fresh spring rolls). In sounding out and spelling her full name—Thao Hong Lam—she demonstrates tangible progress in articulating herself even as the closing line, “Not that kind of lamb!” wryly hints at the next hurdle and ongoing adjustments anyone in an unfamiliar environment will be able to relate to.

This work’s clever construction and stark simplicity embody a kaleidoscope of “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors.”