Hi there! Welcome to our little cozy corner of the internet! I found this little retro gem online recently, and I had to have a copy. There is just something about the illustrations in vintage children's books that tug at the heart strings, and A Boy Named John is filled with that nostalgic charm. It is the story of John, a boy from London, England. John travels around the world, and he learns that in different countries, his name is different in different languages. In France, he is Jean. In Scotland, he is Ian.
Along with a different name, John learns that kids from each country like to eat different things, play different things, and more. I loved looking through this with my kids. I would love to get a second copy of this and frame some of the pages for our playroom!
Do you remember taking foreign language classes in junior high and high school? In the US, we typically can choose to learn French or Spanish, and on the first day of school, our teacher would give each student the French or Spanish version of their name. All of my classmates were Marie for Mary, Jaques for Jack, you get the picture. Apparently my name doesn't translate into French. Sadly, in any language, Ashley remains Ashley. A lovely name but I wanted the sophisticated mystique of a fancy French name. Ah, well. Moving on . . . .
Inspired by this book, it's fun to look up how your name changes in different languages and countries. My kids enjoyed googling our names and finding the ways they morph into new names around the world. Give it a go!
