Review Detail

Abdullah has just been gifted a bear that belonged to his dad for Eid. It has a name, but Abba won’t tell Abdullah what it is. He tells Abdullah that he can name the bear, and the right name will come to him. Abdullah’s siblings, friends, and classmates provide him with plenty of suggestions for a name, but they don’t feel right to him. It isn’t until after Abdullah hears a family story about his family’s time in Pakistan that Abdullah starts to think maybe the bear's name is tied to his culture.

What I Liked: This book opens with a vibrant celebration of Eid in which Abdullah’s dad gifts him a bear that belonged to him before. The story then continues with Abdullah going around and getting suggestions for the name. This book does a great job of highlighting the significance of names and the historical ties they have to various cultures.

The illustrations for each of these scenes are colorful and have a wide range of emotions. The illustrations do a fantastic job of highlighting how thoughtful Abdullah is being with his bear’s name, as you see the pensive thought on his face as others provide different name suggestions. The format of the images with text changes throughout the book, which makes it interesting for young readers. The text is easy to follow along, and the format makes it great to read aloud as the text doesn’t get mixed up with the background and has a consistent flow.

Final Verdict: Abdullah’s Bear Needs a Name is a sweet book that showcases the passing down of momentos and the importance of a name. Children ages 4 and up will enjoy seeing the process of how another child comes to name their stuffed animals. They will also enjoying seeing the Eid celebration and briefly learning about another culture’s celebrations and traditions.