I'm Not.

December 6, 2010
Novelist Smallcomb's first picture book compares two alligatorlike creatures who are very different but still "true-blue friend." "If Evelyn was a book, you'd read her all night under the covers to see what happened next," admits the timid narrator. Boisterous Evelyn repaints the narrator's bedroom ("She's a wonderful decorator. I'm not"), races around on roller skates, and is imaginative, willful, and bold—everything her friend is not. Smallcomb's spare text lets Weinstock (Can You Dig It?) run wild, as when Evelyn dresses up as the "Queen of England," wearing an orange rubber glove crown and carrying a toilet-plunger scepter. Just when it seems that the narrator is doomed to be eternally hapless, Smallcomb (the Trimoni Twins books) reveals that her areas of expertise (like karate and courage in the dark) are Evelyn's weaknesses. When Evelyn (obliviously) longs for a "friend who is always by her side," the narrator, her confidence restored, answers, "I AM! I AM! I AM!" The theme of respect for diverse talents and personalities comes through without a trace of didacticism in this entertaining, very funny story. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from December 15, 2010

A timid, brown gator wearing a pink bow recounts all the things that her friend Evelyn, a bouncy, green gator, is where she is not: decorator, circus performer, explorer and snappy dresser (Evelyn wears Band-Aids with pearls!). "If Evelyn was a book, you'd read her all night under the covers to see what happened next." Halfway through the story, their roles are reversed when the shy narrator claims all the things she can do and Evelyn can't. The gator colors of brown and green cleverly contrasts their differences. The title page and bio blurbs typify the playfulness: "Not drawn by Pam Smallcomb; not written by Robert Weinstock." These and other small details in the illustrations and the teeny print in Evelyn's speech balloons make this hilarious. The droll artwork is "not rendered in watercolor or woodcut" but is subtle, terrific fun with James Marshall–like charm. This is not a stale but a fresh take on friendship/reassurance stories and is, for sure, not boring. (Picture book. 4-8)

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March 1, 2011

K-Gr 2-An unnamed alligator describes her friend. Evelyn is boisterous and zany; "I'm not," admits the young narrator. At first, the comparisons imply that Evelyn is difficult to be around; they move on to extolling the virtues of her creativity. The tables turn when Evelyn bemoans her own shortcomings ("I'm crummy at karate.... I'm scared of the dark.") and her friend can say proudly "I'm not." As a grand finale, Evelyn explains her need for a true-blue best friend, to which her companion responds, "I AM!" More an ode to individuality and friendship than a plot-driven narrative, this philosophical book may find more fans among adults than children. The subtle changes of the meaning behind the words "I'm not" may be lost on some readers, and the flow of the pattern is frequently disrupted by characters' comments in cartoon bubbles. The cartoon-style illustrations have a James Marshall look to them, right down to the color palette, yet the simplicity and real child-centric interactions that Marshall achieved so masterfully are missing here. In this book, these girls are friends because the author says so, and that's all. There are many details to enjoy, and humor abounds in the visuals and the cartoon-bubble commentary. The text can sometimes get a bit lost among all the goings-on; between that and the difficult flow of the story, the book may work best for individual rather than group reading. An additional purchase where books on friendship or self-esteem are in high demand.-Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2011
Preschool-G The title is the refrain in this picture book about two very different but devoted crocodile friends. Fanciful Evelyn hangs from a tree and imagines that she is a poison apple; Im not, says her friend, the unnamed narrator. Fashion-minded Evelyn costumes herself in lampshades and fancy pearls, but her friend prefers to wear a brown paper bag on her head. When mischievous Evelyn is sent to the principals office for making a bubble-gum statue of him, her friend defends her by saying that Evelyn is an artist. Then everything turns around. Evelyn says she is stinky at spelling, and her friend says, Im not. Evelyn is also crummy at karate, scared of the dark, and the worst at making cookies, all of which her friend can help with. What they both need is a best pal, always there through thick and thin, which each one finally yells, I am! The slapstick scenarios, closing with the friends loyalty and bonding, make great fun, and Weinstock extends the feelings and humor with uncluttered images reminiscent of James Marshall's work.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)