I Am Cherished

Written by Onome Ako

Illustrated by Ken Daley

North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada)

978-1-4431-9449-5

32 pp.

Ages 6-8

August 2024 

 

For many kids, starting at a new school can be exciting but also trepidatious. Kikelomo, a child full of colour and brightness, is very excited about making new friends. But her first experience with sharing her name becomes less of welcoming and more of distress when she hears her classmates' reactions.

From I Am Cherished, written by Onome Ako, illustrated by Ken Daley

As the kids in the class introduce themselves in a circle, calling back each other's names to learn them and to welcome them, Kikelomo can't wait to share. But when they giggle and tell her that her name is weird and not normal and too long, the child is left in tears.

From I Am Cherished, written by Onome Ako, illustrated by Ken Daley

At home, her Nigerian Mommy and her Mohawk Nation Daddy remind her of her heritage and that her name means a child who is cherished. Recalling all the ways in which she has felt cherished, from having a bedtime story read to her, or singing in Yoruba with her grandma, or playing with her cousins, Kikelomo is invigorated to appreciate her name.

From I Am Cherished, written by Onome Ako, illustrated by Ken Daley

At school the next day, when the class joins for their circle, Kikelomo tells everyone what her name means and the ways her family make her feel cherished.

Calling me by my name reminds me of what it means.

With that admission, Kikelomo opens the door for others to share how they got their names, including Mr. Santos whose first name is Elvis, and for them to practise saying her name and reminding her that she is cherished at school as well as home.

 

Children can be unintentionally cruel when they are faced with something different, whether it be a name or food or activity. It is more a reflection of what they can't do, like say an unfamiliar name, then that they don't like something. Unfortunately, the recipients of that harshness–Kikelomo in this case–will be hurt, until a connection can be made that brings the two together. Brilliant little Kikelomo, with her courage to speak up and share her name's story, invites them to know her story and share their own. By letting the children make a connection through the sharing of their names, Nigerian-born Toronto author Onome Ako makes them all belong and brings back Kikelomo's bright light. No matter what a child's story is, from whence they came, or what language they speak, or what they look like, they all belong, and their differences just make for a richer community. I hope that Morenike, Onome Ako's daughter and the inspiration for the book, had as positive a resolution, i.e., the making of many friends, as Kikelomo does once they learned the melodic and expressive nature of her name.

 

Ken Daley, an illustrator born in Cambridge, Ontario, keeps the brightness of Kikelomo and lets it shine throughout the story. Ken Daley's digital art uses the full spectrum of colours, giving us a story of sunshine and joy, never letting Kikelomo's disappointment tarnish her story. That blip of dejection is fleeting and cancelled through the love of her family.

 

Kikelomo's story would be a lovely introduction for a first day of school class, to share naming traditions and perhaps even bridge to discussions of family and heritage. If Onome Ako and Ken Daley's book I Am Cherished helps even one child make a connection with another child unlike themselves, it will be gratifying as a first day of school read.