Ages 4-8 · English edition
Emma
Ancient Germanic Whole
Emma comes from an old Germanic word meaning whole — all the parts together. Four letters, two clear beats, and one name that has belonged to no one else quite like you.
24 pagesFull colour8.5 x 8.5 in paperbackRead-aloud & early reader
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Pages from the book.
The meaning
Emma means Whole.
Emma has ancient Germanic roots, from the peoples who lived in northern Europe where the great forests grew. The name can mean whole, or complete — all the parts together. Whole is a round word: like a circle, like a hug, like all the pieces in one place.
I am whole.
The true story
Long ago, an Emma crossed the sea to a new country.She became queen.Kings came and kings went.Emma stayed.
Emma of Normandy sailed to England in 1002 to marry one king, and was queen again when the next one took the throne. Two of her sons became kings after her. The book tells it in four lines, the way a four-year-old can hold it.
For grown-ups
A note for whoever is reading it aloud.
Emma is four letters and two beats, which is about as much as a four-year-old can hold at once — and that is the point. Read it slowly enough that she can say her own name back to you.
When you reach the word whole, stop. Ask her what all her pieces are. The answers are usually better than anything a book could print.
Page two is the only page we left blank. Write her name there, and why you chose it, in your own hand.