In this message-driven episode, a Muslim child tries to hide his identity after seeing his big sister harassed on their first day in a new school, but regains his footing thanks to help from a Muslim teacher and a book. At first, Bilal introduces himself to his class as “Bill,” but after reading about early Muslim hero Bilal Ibn Rabah, he gains the confidence to face his sister’s bully down, and even to invite him into a basketball game after school. Drab illustrations and book design reinforce the overt purpose here, but as Bilal isn’t just a two-dimensional figure, and the setting is far less scary than that in Hristo Kyuchukov’s My Name Was Hussein, illus by Allan Eitzen (2004), this may be useful in sparking discussions with younger audiences about prejudice. (afterword) (Picture book. 7-9)

-Kirkus Review

This book is about Bilal, and his struggle with his identity, or at least at the beginning of the book. Bilal's sister is teased in this book for wearing her hijab, and kids bully her, and even put stuff on their heads in order to tease her about it. The book points out the children's intolerances that are really an echo of the general opinions of society concerning Muslims. The book describes Ayesha's hijab poetically, and Bilal's teacher introduces him to a book about his culture for him to connect with, and Bilal eventually meets an older student that shares in his beliefs. All of these things together paint a positive picture for Bilal, and of what it means to be Muslim, and along with helping Bilal become more confident about his identity, the reader can do the same with this book. I want this book in my library, because I feel that Muslims are still misrepresented, and anti muslim sentiment is still very commonplace here. I want this book and others like it, to help me teach tolerance, and provide a positive perspective, because I know that Muslims are victims of the single story. ( )

Book is a great example of the struggles muslim students face. Due to themes such as sexism and prejudice would suggest 4th grade and up read the book. ( )

This book is about a girl named Bilal who starts going to a new school where her other classmates begin to make fun of her for wearing her hijab. She stands up to her classmates and honors where she came from, she feels no shame for her choices to stay true to her beliefs. With rising tension in America, I believe this book would be a great tool to bring the idea of prejudice and discrimination to the table for older children to talk about. This is an imperative discussion and this book makes a way for it to be productive and bring an actual story to it. For all these reasons and because I think that it is a touching story about a girl remaining true to herself, I gave this book 4 stars. ( )

I really liked this book for multiple reasons. The first reason I enjoyed this book is the plot. The conflict in this story is that Bilal, the Muslim protagonist, is embarrassed by his name and tells his peers to call him "Bill" instead of his given Muslim name. In the end, Bilal overcomes his fear and finds pride in his heritage. This is a great message for children to receive, especially at a time such as now when Muslim Americans are being viewed as questionable citizens. Next, the characters in the story are believable and inspiring. The characters give a realistic view of school life by showing the bullying that occurs by students who are less accepting, Bilal who is made to feel ashamed of his heritage, and the boys that accept Bilal and his fellow Muslim student. In the early pages, we are shown the prejudice that many students will show toward those of differing ethnic backgrounds. By the end of the book, we are shown the heartwarming side of things when Bilal and his friends embrace his name and state their approval of the Muslim student who must stop his basketball practice to pray. Finally, this book pushes readers to think about the issue of racism. Teaching acceptance to our children and students should be the highest priority. Racism, especially toward Muslims, is a huge problem facing our country in recent times. Using an entertaining children's book to teach acceptance can have great benefits on the minds of young children. The message of "My Name is Bilal" is that we should be proud of who we are and accept our peers no matter their cultural differences. ( )