Call Me Gebyanesh

"Call Me Gebyanesh is based on the life expe­ri­ences of Gebyanesh Addisu who, with coau­thor Arlene Rosen­feld Schenker, shares her sto­ry of strug­gling to fit into Israeli soci­ety as an immi­grant from Ethiopia.

For young Gebyanesh, every­thing in Israel is dif­fer­ent from the home she left — the food, the smells, the sounds, and even her name! On the first day of school, Gebyanesh’s teacher decides that her name is too dif­fi­cult to pro­nounce and declares her Rakhel. This col­or­ful­ly illus­trat­ed book then pro­ceeds to share Gebyanesh’s chal­lenges in her new home. She reflects, “‘I’m so dif­fer­ent from the Israeli kids. I know we’re all Jew­ish, but I look dif­fer­ent, my lunch­es are dif­fer­ent, and every­thing in Israel is dif­fer­ent! I do love my name, and I don’t like pre­tend­ing that I’m Rakhel when I’m Gebyanesh on the inside!’”

Ulti­mate­ly, Gebyanesh stands up to her teacher and asserts her iden­ti­ty. She teach­es us all the impor­tance of being true to yourself.

This high­ly rec­om­mend­ed book can be appre­ci­at­ed for the pieces of Ethiopi­an cul­ture woven into its words and illus­tra­tions, and for its poten­tial as a valu­able spring­board for dis­cus­sions about iden­ti­ty with chil­dren. It’s sure to res­onate with any­one who has ever felt out of place — and who hasn’t?" —Jewish Book Council

Moving is never easy, and arriving from Ethiopia, Gebyanesh feels the full weight of her new school in Israel on the very first day. While she shares her Jewish heritage with the other students, everything else about her seems to be different, from her food to her name. Initially, the adjustment from her former home to that in Israel is more challenging than she could imagine, but with bravery and support from loved ones, Gebyanesh is able to stand up for herself and embrace the things that make her unique. While this story takes place in Israel, it is a familiar experience for many people who have had to leave one country for another. This book thoughtfully presents Gebyanesh’s story in a way that is accessible to young children of myriad backgrounds. Best suited to early elementary school-aged readers due to the complexity of its narrative, the book can be enjoyed both in classrooms and in home settings. Colorful illustrations capture the attention as the longer narrative is read aloud, and youth all over the world are sure to recognize this story, no matter which side of it they happen to be on.

VERDICT What an unusual, subtle addition to a familiar conflict; this will be a good fit for collections that support social-emotional learning in early elementary students." —School Library Journal