My Name Is Sangoel

by Karen Lynn Williams, Khadra Mohammed, Catherine Stock (Illustrator)

Sangoel is a refugee. Leaving behind his homeland of Sudan, where his father died in the war, he has little to call his own other than his name, a Dinka name handed down proudly from his father and grandfather before him / When Sangoel and his mother and sister arrive in the United States, everything seems very strange and unlike home. In this busy, noisy place, with its escalators and television sets and traffic and snow, Sangoel quietly endures the fact that no one can pronounce his name. Lonely and homesick, he finally comes up with an ingenious solution to this problem, and in the process he at last begins to feel at home.

Genres: Picture Books, Africa, Childrens, Cultural, Realistic Fiction, Family, Fiction

36 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Karen was born in Connecticut, and received her Master’s degree in deaf education. She has lived in Africa and in Haiti. Karen had an early dream to be one of the youngest published authors, starting a writing club at ten. However, Karen's published works came later in life, after extensive travels and family experience. Karen's ability to draw from personal experience and adapt into writing forms for all ages and interests expresses her true gift.

Reviews

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminds me of another one I read, My Name Is Maria Isabel by Alma Flor Ada, about a girl from a Latin American country whose teacher in her American school decides to shorten or change her name because there are too many similar names in the class. Names are important, and I think, rather than forcing immigrants to "Americanize" their names, we should encourage them to keep their names, which link them to their ethnic heritage. Names are who you are, after all. Out of respect we should at least try to pronounce their names correctly.

I also really like what Sangoel and the children did. That would make a wonderful first-day-of-school activity for children to get to know each other, and it would make a great mnemonic for the teachers to remember the kids. Recommended!

[Dest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many people change their names when they move to the United States so Americans will have an easier time with pronunciation. This is a story about not changing your name. It's about holding on to your identity and reaching out to your new community at the same time. What a wonderful lesson for all kids in the age of globalization.

Note: If you're going to share this, make sure to read through it once first so you're pronouncing Sangoel correctly throughout.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live in an area in New york that has a big refugee population and the settling in process can be overwhelming. This is a good book for young kids probably up to 2nd-5th grade about new life to America for a refugee from a child's point of view. This young boy came from war torn Sudan!

[Harmony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very gentle conversation starter for kids about refugees and particularly, the experience of a refugee child assimilating into a new country and home. The details of the story are very little-kid-friendly, with no gory details or traumatic pictures. Great for building empathy and awareness.

[Phil J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story about an African refugee and his difficulties with Americans pronouncing his name. This would make a great beginning-of-the-year book in grades Pre-K through about 4th.

[Brittany Cohens · Rating 5 out of 5]

In My Name is Sangoel, the main character is a Sudanese war refugee who is leaving a refugee camp with his mother and younger sister. His father, whom he was named after, was killed in the war and now he and his surviving family are immigrating to the United States. The book describes how Sangoel adjusts to all the cultural changes in the United States with his biggest challenge being that his teachers and classmates are pronouncing his name inaccurately. While at first he feels defeated, he ultimately decided to take pride in his name and the heritage that comes with it. This realistic fiction text would be excellent for upper elementary students (around 2nd-4th grade).

In my classroom, I could see myself using this text during Social Studies as an introduction to push and pull factors. Many of my students are familiar with pull factors that make a new place more desirable but may not easily be able to connect to push factors that would make someone leave their country. This text would allow students to discuss the idea of war refugees and could provide for a discussion around having pride in a country that at the moment is too dangerous to stay in. Students could then research other reasons why people would need to leave a country they love. I could also see myself using this text to practice the skill of character perspective. Throughout the text, the main character describes things that American students may find ordinary (airports, television, city sights) as marvelous. Students could practice using what they know about the main character to make inferences about why he has this perspective.

I consider this book a WOW book because it does a great job of bringing a very human perspective to the greater issue of being a refugee in the United States. At a time in our country where issues like immigration centered specifically around refugees is in our news and media, I believe this book beautifully humanizes the issue in a way that is kid-friendly. I also feel the book promotes empathy and understanding for others and their various cultures.

[MrsMJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I teach middle school, and I always start the school year off with it. We read it as a class and we discuss the importance of names, of respecting each other by saying each other’s names properly, and of not giving unwanted nicknames to each other. We also discuss (and practice) how to help others say our own names correctly. I highly recommend this book for elementary through middle school, partnered with “The Name Jar”. Both are great books!
Side note for teachers: It’s a great transition into curriculum because it goes along with “getting to know you” and class procedures/rules/expectations, yet can be transitioned into a research project. After reading/discussing these, and a few other stories with similar themes, I have my students do a research project about their names. Their sources are: 1) Interview a parent/family member about why they were given their name, 2) Baby Name Book for info about their name (root, origin, meaning, other forma of the same name, popularity of the name, nicknames for that name, etc.) 3) Website for info about their name... We go through the whole process of discussing research, bibliography, expository writing forms/processes, etc., and the kids absolutely love it because it’s about their name! They stay engaged! Then students make a poster or slide presentation and present their findings about their name to the class. It’s one of their favorite projects! Kids really enjoy learning about their names, talking with their family members about their names (some kids learn for the first time why they have their name!), and sharing the information with their classmates. All that to say, “These books are a great beginning of the year introduction tool, as well as a fabulous transition into engaging academic content.”

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a boy named Sangoel who is a refugee and whose family had to run in the middle of the night to escape the war, unfortunately his father was killed. The family was brought over to America where they had to adjust to the new lifestyle. The lady who took care of them was Mrs. Johnson, and she taught them how to do things like cross the street, cook on the stove, and eat a fork.

I really enjoyed this story because it told the story of a boy and his family that had to leave their home country and adjust to a new way a living. I tried to picture myself doing that, and I don't know how I would adjust. With everything currently going on in the world, I recommend this book to people who want a better understanding of what these people through.

Quote:- "The sky boat took them to America."

Books that you can pair this book to are: My Name Is Maria Isabel, The Color of Home, & Four Feet, Two Sandals

[Luanne Hatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was selected for our Roanoke Valley Big Read primary category. I read this book and did some research on the topic to use to intro. this story to me younger classes. It's hard to imagine being in a refugee's shoe! The students were touched my this story, too.

[Claire Sutkus · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Name Is Sangoel follows the story of an eight-year-old Sudanese refugee who moves to the United States with his mother and sister after the war leaves them without a home. Upon arriving, Sangoel is eager to attend school but faces the challenge of having his Dinka name mispronounced by his new classmates and teachers. Determined to preserve his heritage, Sangoel creatively uses a T-shirt with a rebus—symbols representing parts of his name—to help others learn how to pronounce it correctly. His inventive approach not only educates his peers but also fosters a sense of pride and belonging in his new community.(CHATGPT, 2025)

This heartwarming story highlights themes of identity, cultural heritage, and the immigrant experience. Sangoel's journey reflects the challenges many face when adapting to a new culture while striving to maintain their own. The authors, Williams and Mohammed, effectively convey the importance of names as symbols of personal and familial identity. The illustrations by Catherine Stock complement the narrative beautifully, capturing the emotional nuances of Sangoel's experiences through expressive watercolors and collages. The book serves as a gentle yet powerful reminder of the significance of names and the respect they deserve.

My Name Is Sangoel is an excellent resource for educators and parents to discuss topics such as immigration, cultural diversity, and the importance of names. It can be used in classrooms to promote inclusivity and respect for different backgrounds. Activities might include students creating their own name rebuses or sharing the stories behind their names. The book is suitable for children aged 6–10 and can be a valuable addition to discussions about empathy, cultural awareness, and the refugee experience.

[Heidi Guth · Rating 5 out of 5]

“My Name is Sangoel” is a heart-warming and relevant example of realistic fiction. Written in 2009, it depicts the experience of a young refugee from Sudan, named Sangoel, and his mother and sister, as they come to the United States to start a new life. Everything is strange and new. Sangoel’s feelings of loneliness and homesickness are worsened by the fact that no one can pronounce his name. Sangoel is proud of his family name, one his father who was killed in the war carried as well, but it is only making him that much more different than his new classmates. It’s only when he joins a soccer team that Sangoel, using inspiration from the team’s logo, finds a way to “show” his new classmates how to pronounce his name and begin the process of assimilation and feeling like he was “home”.
This book could be used in a variety of ways. There are millions of children all over the world who are refugees and it could be paired with another read aloud about refugees to compare and contrast the experiences of the main characters. The telling illustrations depict Sangoel’s emotions during his experience so thoughtfully and accurately, there could be a lesson in storytelling and sequencing from the illustrations alone.
Obvious extensions of this book in social studies would be a nonfiction look at Sudan and discovering the motivation and/or necessity of a family, such as Sangoel and his mother and sister, to leave their land. You could also link it to art and writing by having students write about the origin of their names and create their own t-shirt designs with pictorial representations.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful book to share about refugees, identity, and the power of one's name.
Pair with The Name Jar, or Calling the Water Drum, The Treasure Box, The Journey, My Beautiful Birds, Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey, Where Will I Live?, Her Right Foot for a refugee/immigration text set.

[Anne Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is really good! The African boy, Sangoel, leaves the war in Sudan to start a new life in America. The reader follows Sangoel's development from being an outsider, feeling different, to eventually, being accepted by his American classmates.
The story is quite simple and quickly read. Sangoel arrives to America and shows up at his new school, where no one manages to pronounce his name in American. Until one day, Sangoel draws his name, first a "sun", then a "goal". Suddenly, everyone is able to say his name currently, and Sangoel realizes that "his name is Sangoel, even in America". He stays the same, even though he has left his beloved home country.
To sum up, this beautiful story illustrate the actual struggles that a refugee potentially experiences: nightmares, home sickness and identity crisis. So in my interpretation, the authors' purpose is, first of all, to describe this struggles and make the reader understand the emotions related to escaping from war. Secondly, the purpose is to let the reader know that people can still maintain the identity created from origin and heritage and be included in a new environment. One does not have to identify with one nationality, but can simply identify with combination of nationalities.

[Lorna James · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Name Is Sangoel tells a simple but powerful story about a Sudanese boy adjusting to life in a new country after fleeing war. Sangoel’s struggle with his name being mispronounced is something many immigrant and multilingual students can relate to. His creative way of teaching others how to say his name reminds readers that names carry deep cultural meaning and identity.

As a teacher, I see this story as a great resource for building classroom community and empathy. It could fit perfectly at the start of the school year during identity or “getting to know you” activities. Students could share the stories behind their names, create name art, or write short reflections about what their names mean to them and their families. The book also opens up discussions about respect, belonging, and how small actions can help classmates feel seen and valued.

Even though it’s written for younger audiences, the message translates beautifully to middle school, where students are still developing confidence in who they are. I would use this text as a mentor piece for personal narrative writing and as a culturally responsive way to talk about inclusion and diversity in the classroom.

[Stephie Healy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“My Name is Sangoel” by Karen Lynn Williams is a very powerful children’s book. It takes the reader through the story of a little boy called Sangoel, who used to live in a refugee camp and is now moving to America. It tells the story through Sangoel’s perspective. Everything he was experiencing was new to him. He describes his experience of flying on a plane, using electric stairs, going to school, and living in a apartment building, which for him were all amazing and new. This book is written in a critical literature perspective. I find this book very educative not only for kids but for adults too. Personally, I got to understand a little better how a refugee may feel when he first moves to a new country. It really impressed me when he described America as “big and free; with no barbed wire to keep them in.” The overall theme of this book is the journey and experience of a refugee moving into a new country. I really recommend it because it allows the opportunity of a “window” for kids to learn more about where refugees come from and how their lives are.

[Shanti LaPaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This realistic fiction book was a good story and the end left me smiling. This book is definitely interesting for children. There was clear problem with how people were saying Sangoel's name and he found a cleaver way to fix it. The plot was well thought out a full of rich information. This is a good story for any elementary grade level. The characters also seem very realistic. From the very beginning I was in love with how colorful the pages in the book were and how well everything was drawn. The picture also went very well with the words and that made the book easier understand. Throughout the book there were a lot of different cultural groups show and I did not notice any negative stereotypes. Children get to travel with Sangoel from his past home to his one and they get to see the differences in the setting of both places. The author is not part of the cultural group. Within the different cultural groups in the story there was diversity shown in the drawings.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a young boy named Sangoel who had to escape in the middle of the night with his family. His father died in the war in Sudan and after they left, they became refugees. Sangoel and his family took the "sky boat" (airplane) to America. When they arrived they were surprised at how fast people were speaking english and how the stairs moved in the airport. He was learning so many new words like apartment which is where they lived and he practiced pushing buttons on the telephone. When he started school, the students all came together and they all learned how to correctly pronounce each others names. They drew out symbols that helped each other say their names correctly for example a girl named Carmen drew a car + men. I think this would be a great addition to my classroom and also a helpful idea for my future students.

[Alana Young]

This book is about a refugee boy named Sangoel who with his mom and sister moves to the United States from Sudan. The transition to the States is difficult, as the family must learn to adjust to the unfamiliarity that surrounds them. As Sangoel makes his way in America, the Americans the encounters all furrow their brow when seeing and trying to pronounce his name. Sangoel, determined not to lose a part of who he is, creates a "key" for his peers to help them understand his name, the first step in understanding his identity. This book could be used in 1st-4th grade to discuss the value and identity found in names. Because the story is rooted in the fact that Sangoel is an immigrant, this also provides an opportunity to discuss immigration and the challenges it may bring to newcomers.

[Sailer Galusha-McRobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for early elementary school students. This book tells the story of a boy named Sangoel who is an immigrant from Sudan. He is saddened when he comes to America and his name is mispronounced all the time. Some people suggest that he should choose a "more American name" (whatever that means) but he is persistent and determined. He decides to keep his name and makes a creative solution at the end of the book that all of his classmates also participate in. The book also shares great detail about the immigrant experience with his family, such as learning how to walk in a cross walk or use a fork to eat. This book is heartwarming and very applicable for both immigrant students and for those born in the US.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ages 7 and up. The story of a refugee child from Sudan beginning with his leaving a camp in Africa and his family's journey to America. The story explains that his father was killed in the war and that Sangoel fled in the night to the camp. In America, he will no longer have to flee in the night, he is told. At school, the children laugh at his name. Sangoel has nightmares about having to flee again. But he shows resilience and initiative when he presents the class with a picture of a sun and a soccer goal to teach them how to say his name. His classmates join in the activity (Carmen draws a car next to men), and the teacher applauds him. An important story for helping Western children understand the refugee experience and helping refugee children feel seen.

[Angelica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Multicultural Picture Book/Realistic Fiction

Copyright Date: 2009

This was a fabulous book. I absolutely loved it. A story about a boy named Sangoel who is refugee from Sudan. He moves to America with his mom and little sister and starts going to school where no one can say his name the right way. However, he comes up with a fun solution to get everyone to remember how to say his name correctly. I would use this book in grades K-5 to talk to students about what we can do to make it easier for students who are new to America and who may have a hard time with English.

[Menna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sangoal came to America with his mom and sister from Sudan as a refugee. When he comes to America he is having trouble getting people to pronounce his name correctly. He feels alone in this new country. This story is a great story in learning to not change your name just so people can be able to pronounce it, but loving your name and embracing that it might be hard to pronounce. This book is also a great way for people to look into the life of a refugee.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Remember, you will always be a Dinka. You will be Sangoel. Even in America.”

Sangoel’s father was killed in the war in Sudan. Now, he and his mother and sister are going to America. This new country is very different, with bright lights, stairs that move, people speaking English very quickly. But they have difficulty pronouncing Sangoel’s name ... especially at school. But it’s important to Sangoel that people use his name correctly and he comes up with a clever idea.

[Josie Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I loved the message of staying rooted in your culture and not forgetting where you come from. I also love the illustrations in this book. Catherine Stock included on some pages actual pictures mixed in with the watercolor illustrations.
I would definitely include this book in my classroom. I think it shows the struggle immigrants often feel to change who they are to fit in, but it gives a great message of staying true to who you are.

[Amber Logue · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Name is Sangoel tells the story of Sangoel, an immigrant from Sudan, and his journey of getting Americans to call him by his real name. He is frustrated that no one can pronounce his name, almost electing to pick an American name. He comes up with the bright idea of making a shirt with a picture of a sun and a goal, so that people pronounce his name sun+goal=Sangoel. This would work best as a read aloud for lower to middle elementary students.

[James Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story of a refugee from Sudan, who comes to America. He is proud of his name, his family name, ancestral name, but no one can pronounce it properly. The young boy comes up with a clever solution to this problem. When the kids at school see this, they begin using his technique for their own names. A very heartwarming and inspiring story. The illustrations are beautiful and done in almost a painting style. Well worth it for home reading or the classroom.

[Renae Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 2009 this realistic fiction picture book is the Flicker Tale Children's Book Award Nominee for Picture Book (2012). This book is about a refugee boy who has lost his country and feels like he looses his name, when no one says it correctly. This book could be used as part of a name text set, with the activity of people showing how to say their names with pictures like in the book. It can also be used as part of an immigration text set.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very highly recommended to everyone - especially to teachers on the first day of school.

I'm so glad I found this book in a Little Free Library. When I realized that it's by the author of Galimoto, one of my favorites from college, I knew I had to read it promptly and not let it pile up w/ the other finds!

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the importance of names, how much they mean to us, how they connect us to our cultures and families, even when everything else is changing and seems unfamiliar. But it's also about how we communicate about ourselves to others and how we stand up for our identities.

I liked the heavy lines and bright colors of the illustrations.

[Amanda Schwind · Rating 5 out of 5]

These illustrations are CAPTIVATING.
(I was intrigued by the photographs incorporated into the pictures on page 3.)

I have nothing negative to say about this book.
I only wish I had known about it at the beginning of this school year with me many ESL students who have hard-to-pronounce names!!!
We encourage the students to gently correct anyone who says their names wrong.