I Am Enough

January 1, 2018

Gr 1-4-Actress Byers has penned a picture-book affirmation for girls who may be doubting their self-worth. Byers, who self-indentifies as multiracial and a CODA (child of deaf adults), experienced bullying as a child. The rhyming text begins with a series of first-person statements about purpose, many in the form of similes. Some of these translate well to a young human, e.g., "Like the tree, I'm here to grow," while others are rather less successful (and logical): "Like the rain, I'm here to pour and drip and fall until I'm full." The latter part of the book suggests that readers should love and support each other despite differences, both physical and otherwise. This is a gentle and worthy message, but may not be concrete enough to empower bullied students or to prompt a change in those who bully. It could be used to give struggling young girls a script for positive self-talk, or the adults who care for them an opening to discuss dignity and kindness. A plurality of ethnicities and body types are represented, generally at a distance and against plain white backgrounds enhanced with digital chalk sketches. VERDICT Teachers and librarians who tend to the self-esteem of young girls may wish to consider this title to introduce concepts and spark discussion.-Sarah Stone, San Francisco Public Library

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2018
A feel-good book about self-acceptance.Empire star Byers and Bobo offer a beautifully illustrated, rhyming picture book detailing what one brown-skinned little girl with an impressive Afro appreciates about herself. Relying on similes, the text establishes a pattern with the opening sentence, "Like the sun, I'm here to shine," and follows it through most of the book. Some of them work well, while others fall flat: "Like the rain, I'm here to pour / and drip and fall until I'm full." In some vignettes she's by herself; and in others, pictured along with children of other races. While the book's pro-diversity message comes through, the didactic and even prideful expressions of self-acceptance make the book exasperatingly preachy--a common pitfall for books by celebrity authors. In contrast, Bobo's illustrations are visually stunning. After painting the children and the objects with which they interact, such as flowers, books, and a red wagon, in acrylic on board for a traditional look, she scanned the images into Adobe Photoshop and added the backgrounds digitally in chalk. This lends a whimsical feel to such details as a rainbow, a window, wind, and rain--all reminiscent of Harold and the Purple Crayon. Bobo creates an inclusive world of girls in which wearing glasses, using a wheelchair, wearing a head scarf, and having a big Afro are unconditionally accepted rather than markers for othering.A pro-girl book with illustrations that far outshine the text. (Picture book. 3-7)

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December 1, 2017
Grades 1-3 Sadly, we still live in a world in which little girls in general and girls of color in particular need to be assured of their value. Fortunately, writers and illustrators like the creators of this work are producing books that address that need. In this simple but powerful poem, girls of all hue and stripe are celebrated for just being themselves. Girls sing and play and stand on their heads. They grow tall and strong like trees and mountains; they climb ladders and fall down and get up. They support one another and laugh and cry. But perhaps most important, this book insists girls are different from one another in many ways, and in that, rather than in conformity, lies their strength and beauty. While this book is certainly aimed at a female readership, it needs to be read by everyone for its transformative message to take root. It can be paired with Beautiful (2016) and Brave (2017), by Stacy McAnulty, and I Am Loved (2018), by Nikki Giovanni.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)