Christopher Kwame Mulamba may be a hero for all the kids who have ever railed against the injustice of the grinding banality, or excessive originality, of their given names. Christopher thinks he’s a special kid deserving a special name, and he sets about changing it – several times.

This is Itah Sadu’s third book, including an earlier Christopher book. A well-known and accomplished storyteller, Sadu presents the book in storyteller vernacular with inescapable echoes of Munschian phrasing, repeats, and humour. This voice rhythm may make Christopher more successful as a read-aloud book than as one to be quietly perused by its five- to eight-year-old target audience.

Disconsolate about his everyday name, Christopher first chooses to be called Tiger after a strong and silent Trinidadian hero. Strong and silent is a good ideal until he hooks up with the concept of importance exemplified by Elijah McCoy, an African-Canadian scientist, and decides to call himself The Real McCoy. Importance is excellent until he comes across the dazzle of being famous, and decides to call himself 23 after Michael Jordan’s illustrious number. And finally, fame is great until his grandmother sends a birthday cheque made out to “Christopher Mulamba.” Our hero, now fully ensconced as Number 23, sets off to cash his cheque…and finds he can’t.

The illustrations by Roy Condy are bright, exuberant, and cartoon-like. The layout, however, makes the text appear a bit laboured and dense.

Parents and their children will be at odds over two issues in Christopher Changes His Name. First, Christopher comes to realize that his name is special only when it appears on a cheque. Secondly, he resolves his identity crisis with the bank manager by being defiant with his mother and thereby tricking her into calling out his real name. By working out her story in this way, Sadu has cleverly annoyed every adult and delighted every child.