I'm Gonna Like Me

September 30, 2002
The dynamic duo behind Today I Feel Silly
returns for another lively, emotionally reassuring picture book. This time out, Curtis looks to the source of what makes children (of all ages) feel comfortable in their own skin. Cornell pictures the perky rhymes being delivered by a pair of young protagonists confident enough to shake off embarrassment and to feel proud (though not overly so) of personal achievements. "I'm gonna like me/ when I'm called on to stand./ I know all my letters/ like the back of my hand," announces a girl dressed in plaid, flowers and a cape. "I'm gonna like me/ when my answer is wrong,/ like thinking my ruler/ was ten inches long," says the boy as both youngsters stand before the school blackboard. Ultimately, the author concludes "I'm gonna like me/ 'cause I'm loved and I know it,/ and liking myself/ is the best way to show it." Though the message is both catchy and effective in its delivery, it's Cornell's humorous, detailed, ink-and-watercolor illustrations that give this volume true pizzazz. She hits just the right note of fear-tinged bravura with the characters' vividly imagined antics. Their portraits, embellished with all manner of costumes and fun accessories (a fire-extinguisher-like toothpaste tube, an Esther Williams lunchbox, a "Dalmatian Kit" for polka-dotting pets), will delight the audience. Ages 4-8.

October 1, 2002
K-Gr 2-In rhyming text, a boy and a girl describe how they will like themselves whether things are going right or wrong. She says, "I'm gonna like me/when I'm called on to stand./I know all my letters/like the back of my hand." He says, "I'm gonna like me/when my answer is wrong, /like thinking my ruler/was ten inches long." They're going to like themselves, too, when they try new things, work on their good behavior, play with baby brother, or help around the house. They're going to like themselves "from [his] giant big toe to the braids on [her] head." Cornell's bright artwork appears to be done in watercolor and ink. The heavily detailed pictures have hidden humor that will be much more entertaining to adults than to children, such as the titles of the books scattered around the children's room. This pleasant addition will combine well with Nancy Carlson's I Like Me! (Viking, 1988) or Peggy Rathmann's Ruby the Copycat (Scholastic, 1991) for storytimes.-Roxanne Burg, Thousand Oaks Library, CA

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2002
Gr. 1-3. After their resounding success with " Tell Me Again about the Night I Was Born" (1996) and giddy explorations such as " Where Do Bal"loons Go? (2000), celebrated author-illustrator team Curtis and Cornell advocate a sort of jubilant self-love. Throughout the playful pages, a boy and girl alternate uttering proclamations of pride at being just exactly who they are, whether they are minding their manners or making mistakes: "I'm gonna like me / when I jump out of bed, from my giant big toe / to the braids on my head." Although the rhymes are sometimes forced and constructions awkward ("I'm gonna like me when I don't run so fast / Then they pick teams / and I'm chosen last"), Cornell's ever-exuberant illustrations fly through the air with the greatest of ease. Dozens of tiny, comical details (one child is eating "Cup o' Lettuce" in the cafeteria) enliven the message-heavy book. Curtis' books get attention, so libraries may want this despite the flaws.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)