My Name Is Cool

A young boy recounts the stories of his many nicknames.

Antonio is named after his father, his grandfather, and his great-grandfather—and his father’s best friend. He soon receives his first nickname in the hospital when his squinting eyes remind his mom of the vintage cartoon character Mr. Magoo. This nickname gives rise to several spinoffs, which, in addition to his first, middle, and last names, bring Antonio’s total number of names to six at just 3 days old. The pattern continues as Antonio’s Cuban family members bestow charming and often playful Spanish nicknames on him. Antonio, who is bilingual (speaking Spanish and English) like his papá, shares the story behind each name and eventually reaches 10 names. Trouble finds Antonio on the first day of kindergarten, when he has difficulty answering his name when the teacher takes attendance. Antonio is sent to the principal’s office to explain himself. There, he finds a friendly ally who delights in the story of his names and gives him one more as he heads back to class with her approval. This lighthearted look at collecting nicknames infuses the first-day-of-school genre with a new voice. Antonio’s mother is light-skinned and red-haired; his father is brown-skinned, dark-haired, and Cuban. The school principal is Black, and Antonio’s classmates are diverse. Unitalicized Spanish words and phrases appear throughout. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sure to spark lively conversation about readers’ own nicknames. (Picture book. 4-7)

—Kirkus Reviews