New York is English, Chattanooga is Creek

Raschka, Chris. New York is English, Chattanooga is Creek.  Atheneum Books for Young Readers: New York, 2005.  ISBN-13: 978-0689846007. Available from Amazon.com for $17.99.

This illustrated picture books has a message:  America is diverse and the names of the cities in America are diverse.  This book, written and illustrated for young readers, grades K-5, will provide readers with an exploration of the origin of the names of many American cities.  The cities are represented as individual characters invited to a party by the Duke of York – (This is who the city of New York is named after). The party has almost 40 guests, so there are a lot of name origins for readers to learn. 

Each of the characters invited to the party are illustrated in ink and watercolor.  There is plenty of white space around each character and each character illustration has a cultural component - the style of dress, facial expressions and even props they are holding all represent a particular culture which hails from their named city.  These illustrations provide the reader with more information about the city itself and which cultural group can be attributed for its name.  On top of each character’s head is a building, a skyline view or a symbol that represents the particular city where the guest comes from – these are ingenious!  For example, St Louis (named for a crusader) has an arch on top of his head.  These symbols allow the reader to learn more about the city itself just by the illustration.  These might have to be pointed out to younger readers – and should lead to later careful examination. 

To see the valued diversity within our own country is excellent and needed– each member invited to the party has a different ethnic background with different facial features, yet all are equally mentioned and portrayed.  All characters invited to the party, no matter their ethnicity, are important – and there would not be a party without their attendance.  When the guests of the Duke of York first arrive, there are some awkward feelings and silences, but soon they begin to mingle.  According to the host – “The party is a huge success” – perhaps this could be a parallel comment to our country’s own experience as a melting pot of cultures.  Our melting pot did not happen right away, and some cultures perhaps feel left out or awkward at times but America is on its way to a blended success and respect of diversity within our country.  “A thousand names, a hundred languages, a million, and a million, and a million people name one nation.”   This theme of togetherness, appreciation of different backgrounds as well as mutual respect for differences is a good lesson for young readers to experience. 

The guest list in the front of the book provides the readers with more historical information about the derivation of each city name mentioned in the book.  This can lead to further name origin exploration - readers can even research their own city if it is not mentioned in the book.  This is a recommended read for anyone wanting to appreciate the diversity of our own country in a well illustrated picture book.  Author Chris Raschka is Caldecott Medal winner of The Hello, Goodbye Window (2006) and A Ball for Daisy (2012).

For more on Chris Raschka:

http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Chris-Raschka/1786251

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/chris-raschka