The Power of Your Name

by Jyoti Rajan Gopal, Olivia Sua (Illustrator)

Overview

For fans of Your Name Is a Song and Tomorrow I’ll Be Kind, here is an uplifting and dynamic story which celebrates every name through poetic verse and using the ABC’s.

Dynamic. Intentional. Powerful.

​These are just a few of the many words that describe your name. Bestowed with love, your name is essential . . . just like you. It is alive; it is the beat of your drum; it is a celebration of all the beautiful traits that make you so wonderfully you. 

Told through the ABCs with powerful, anthemic prose and breathtaking cut-paper art, Jyoti Rajan Gopal and Olivia Sua deliver a powerful assertion: that whatever your name is, it is alive—and the heartbeat of who you are. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454947424
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	08/26/2025
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jyoti Rajan Gopal is a writer, mom, and former kindergarten teacher. Growing up, she lived in Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, India, and China. She has published multiple children's books, including American Desi. Jyoti currently lives in New York with her family. She invites you to visit her website at jyotirajangopal.com.

Olivia Sua is an illustrator for children’s and adult books as well as magazines. Born and raised in a small mountain town in the Pacific Northwest, she is inspired by seasons, nature, and rich storytelling. Some of her children’s works include If I Could Choose a Best Day, Water Day, and Uno Más, One More. Olivia currently lives in Washington State. She invites you to visit her online at oliviasua.com. 

Read an Excerpt

Your Name is . . .
ALIVE
a melody of letters
that thrum and hum
that croon
to the rhythm
of your tune.

Editorial Reviews

Bolstering and affirming.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Rajan Gopal urges a widespread appreciation for names in this affirming work featuring Sua’s crisp cut-paper artwork.”—Publishers Weekly

"A joyful, energizing book to share
when exploring the unique qualities we each bring to the table."
 —Booklist

From the Publisher

2025-05-30
An ABC book that celebrates that sweetest of sounds: your name.

Climbing a rock wall, sailing across a starlit sea, and gamboling through floral landscapes, the diverse characters who populate these pages proclaim that your name is “the snap pop / of your essence / your presence / your superpower.” Infused with alphabetically arranged positive descriptors (“Your name is Alive. / A melody of letters,” “Your name is a Gift / Plucked from your family tree”), Gopal’s rhyming text builds to a rousing crescendo of everything that makes you “zesty zingy zen-sational you.” Quieter verses offer readers space to consider the origins of their names and to reflect on “your true self / and your place in this world.” The use of made-up terms—vibrosonic,wonderific—feels a bit out of place in a book centered on the alphabet, though the words don’t detract from the uplifting message. On each page, the main word appears prominently, styled in inventive ways:electricity presented in a jagged font, set against a sky filled with lightning;knowledge spelled out on a classroom blackboard. Sua’s cut-paper artwork creates dynamic lines as well as movement that follows the rhythms of the text. An author’s note advises readers to take special care to say people’s names the way they would like; Gopal and Sua also explain the meanings of their own names.

Bolstering and affirming.(Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews