I'm Gonna Like Me (rpkg): Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem [Library Binding]

Jamie Lee Curtis (Author), Laura Cornell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Celebrate liking yourself! Through alternating points of view, a girl's and a boy's, Jamie Lee Curtis's triumphant text and Laura Cornell's lively artwork show kids that the key to feeling good is liking yourself because you are you. Like the duo's first New York Times best-seller, Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day, this is an inspired book to rejoice in and share. I'm Gonna Like Me will have kids letting off some self-esteem in no time!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Actor Jamie Lee Curtis and winsome illustrator Laura Cornell continue their successful collaboration (Today I Feel Silly, When I Was Little, et al.) with this paean to poise and self-assurance, I'm Gonna Like Me.

The duo sets out to "let off a little self-esteem" by following a seriously self-actualized (and gratifyingly quirky) boy and girl throughout their day on alternating pages. The kids take turns carrying the lines, often switching off midsentence, to describe exactly how and why "I'm gonna like me." (Girl: "I'm gonna like me / when I'm called on to stand. / I know all my letters / like the back of my hand." Boy: "I'm gonna like me / when my answer is wrong, / like thinking my ruler / was ten inches long.") The call and response continues through the action-packed day, as the kids get up, go to school, have lunch, go to a birthday party, etc., until they finally get tucked in--so no opportunity for building self-esteem gets overlooked.

Young readers will like Curtis's words and the rhythmic repetition, but it's Cornell's scribbling, reminiscent of the New Yorker's Roz Chast, that makes the book stand out. From an imagined fashion-show runway walk (love that snooty fashion press) to a hilarious lunch table spread (got to get some of that "Cup o' Lettuce" and "Pork by the Foot" for your Doris Day lunch box), Cornell fills the book with funny faces and lots of laughs (the best of which might be the girl's pet turtle working out in a cage with a treadmill, next to a book titled "Exercising Your Illegal Turtle"). (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

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.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Library Binding: 36 pages
• Publisher: Joanna Cotler (September 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060287624
• ISBN-13: 978-0060287627
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,288,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jamie Lee Curtis is the author of eight best-selling children's books that address core childhood subjects and life lessons in a playful, accessible way. Jamie finds the inspiration for her writing all around her - in the experiences of her children, her godchildren, her friends - and of course in her own life. Her first book, When I Was Little, was sparked by her then-four-year-old daughter's boast that she was no longer "little." Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born, a celebration of adoption and the start of a new family, was inspired by the adoption of her own children. And as an author, of course Jamie loves big words and knows that words have power. Her latest book, Big Words for Little People, gives young children the knowledge and power of their own "big words." All of Jamie's best-selling picture books are illustrated by Laura Cornell: Big Words for Little People; Is There Really A Human Race?; It's Hard To Be Five: Learning How To Work My Control Panel; I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off A Little Self Esteem; Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery; Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day; Tell Me Again About The Night I Was Born; and When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth. Jamie is also well known as a film actress, with starring roles in such acclaimed films as Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Freaky Friday, True Lies, Trading Places and A Fish Called Wanda. Jamie is the mother of Annie and Thomas and is married to actor/director Christopher Guest. They live in California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ten star book for all ages......, November 30, 2002

By 

MotherLodeBeth "MotherLodeBeth" (Sierras of California) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem (Hardcover)

It is rare that a book comes along that all children will love. I say love all children because we have wee ones who are hearing or sight impaired and its nice to see a book that these children as well as able bodied children can enjoy. For the hearing impaired child the illustration will bring the book to life. While the sight impaired child will find the words "illustrate" the book.

And for the rest of us the combination is a sure winner. And its not a sappy feel good self esteem book but more along the lines of we are all human and fall down, and feel we don't fit in at times, but it is in keeping trying that is what make life work. And its a book that will appeal to boys and girls, males and females. And lest you think it is only for wee ones, its also a good book for teens, college kids, those going thru lifes many passages. Or for someone who is going thru a rough period in their lives.

As a rule I avoid celebrity books like the plague, but Ms Curtis is a true talent.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Joyous Guide to Happiness....., October 7, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem (Hardcover)

Dynamic duo, Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell are back with their fun-filled and entertaining guide to "letting off a little self-esteem." Follow a boy and girl through their day, from the time they open their eyes in the morning, to the moment they close them again at bedtime. They like themselves, through the good and the bad..."I'm gonna like me/when I open the box/and smile and say "Thanks"/even though I got socks", the right and the wrong..."I'm gonna like me/when my answer is wrong,/like thinking my ruler/was ten inches long", when they rise to the occassion..." I'm gonna like me/when I clean in a flash/and play with my brother/and take out the trash", or when trying something new..."I'm gonna like me/when I eat something new/even if Grandma makes/octopus stew." Ms Curtis' joyous, rhyming text is filled with energy, and just begs to be shared and read aloud. But it's Ms Cornell's bold, bright, and busy illustrations that make this picture book really standout, and children will revel in all the witty detail as they explore each dazzling, two-page spread. Perfect for youngsters 3-7, I'm Gonna Like Me is a captivating, feel good, little gem that tells kids not to be shy about it, but to celebrate their special selves in everything they do. "I'm gonna like me/cause I'm loved and I know it,/and liking myself/is the best way to show it."

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem, September 14, 2005

By 

Pamela B. Clair "Pam Burns-Clair" (Sonoma, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem (Hardcover)

As a psychotherapist specializing in children, this is a lovely fun book for reinforcing self esteem and helping us accept our foibles.