This picture book tells the story of Saajin (pronounced Sah-jin), a little boy whose first experience at school is also his first experience with his name being mispronounced. Saajin doesn't know what to do when his teacher mispronounces his name, which leads to all other members of the school mimic the mispronunciation. As a teacher, this story hits very close to home because so many young people come into my classroom and take their cues from me, so the importance of getting a name pronunciation right from the first day is not lost on me.

As the story continues, Saajin begins to come to the conclusion that his name is pronounced differently when he is in public. When he meets a new neighbour and introduces himself with the incorrect pronunciation his parents are surprised and later question him on it. His response is heartbreaking. He explains that Say-jin is just how his name is pronounced outside the house. This shows the thought process that must go through some children's minds as they begin to make sense of this new pronunciation and how unsure children must feel when they want to correct someone but also don't know how to.

I absolutely could see this book in my classroom library and plan to purchase a copy to share with my Grade 3s once it is published, but even more than being an important part of my library, I think this book should be in my school library because, in my opinion, it is a must read for teachers of all students. I would recommend this book to teachers, librarians and families of children in the 4-10 age range, as well as any adult or child who wants to learn about the importance of pronouncing names correctly. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Awesome book!! I can't stress enough how important and meaningful this book is for kids. I know that many, many young readers will be able to relate to Saajin on *at least* one topic/idea mentioned in this book. Adding onto that, readers will also be empowered and inspired by Saajin. This is because Saajin is proud of his name and also learns to speak up for himself by the end of the book. It's crucial for kids to learn how to speak up for themselves early on, and this book does a perfect job of achieving that. There are two other things that this book teaches:
1. Acceptance and comfort with mistakes. Saajin believes (at first) that adults don't make mistakes and are always right. This thought of his is proven wrong by the middle of the book. This progression and change teaches readers that everyone makes mistakes, and that it's ok.
2. Sikh culture. I didn't know the fun fact about Sikhs and naming that was included in the back of the book. This was so fascinating, and I'm glad it was included (I learned some stuff)! This fact also ties into the central theme of names, allowing the book to come full-circle.
Bravo!!

Saajin loves his name. It is pronounced Sah-jin. He knows how to spell it. And he knows how to say it, of course. But when he goes to school, his teacher is unfamiliar with how to pronounce it, so calls him Say-jin. Everyone else has Anglo sounding names. He knows that is not his name. But she is the teacher, and he has been told to do what the teacher says. So he decides that must be how the outside world says his name, but he doens’t like it.


His parents don’t find out about it, until he introduces himself to the new neighbors with his “outside” name. HIs parents ask him if he likes this version of his name, and he says he doesn’t. They also tell him that if he isn’t saying it right, it doesn’t have the same meaning.


So, he gets up his courage, and explains to his teacher that he really would like to have his name pronounced correctly, and find that nothing bad happens.


It is so important to have your name said the way you want it to be. Good story to teach kids that even adults make mistakes, and it is ok to claim the name you want, the way you want it said.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published on the 25th of March 2025.

Saajin is super excited for his first day of school! Well, until the teacher unknowingly pronounces his name wrong. As a trusted teacher and other students begin to pronounce his name that way, he settles for hearing it — even though there's a persistent, nagging feeling whenever it happens. After a discussion with his parents, he's reminded of the special meaning of his name and comes to realize that he can, in fact, correct people.

A beautiful story of understanding when it comes to respecting and appreciating a person's name, as well as being able to stand up for yourself if it's mispronounced. The illustrations were also so fun and vibrant.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.