I'm Number One [Hardcover]

Michael Rosen (Author), Bob Graham (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

How do you deal with a bully? A stellar author-illustrator team shows that a touch of playfulness can go a long way.

Little wind-up soldier A-One is in charge. At least that’s what he tells the other toys: Sally, Maddy, and Sid. When he tells them to turn his key, they do it. When he tells them they’re no good, they feel bad. He calls them all kinds of things: no good, hopeless, the worst. Or was that hope-use, good-no, and less-less? Somehow, stringing all those mean words together makes them start to sound, well, silly — and even though A-One doesn’t mean to, he finds himself smiling too. From the incomparable Michael Rosen and Bob Graham comes an insightful, child-friendly tale about learning how to be one of the gang.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1—Through soft illustrations rendered in pen and watercolor, this simple story offers a helpful message: a bully loses his power when surrounded by friends who rally together. When a girl and her mother leave the house, three toys—a doll named Sally, a duck named Maddy, and a Pig named Sid—must endure name-calling and bossiness from a toy soldier throughout the day. Soon the friends learn that if they can laugh at one another, A-One's message no longer hurts them; in fact, he learns that even he may need friends.—Melissa Smith, Green Valley Library, Henderson, NV
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

When a group of toys is left alone for the day, A-One, a very bossy windup soldier, takes command. Neither his duck, doll, nor pig subjects are able to live up to his expectations, and so he marches them around, makes fun of them, and purloins their belongings. As he continues his attempts to assert his authority, though, he notices that the other toys’ gentle teasing shows that self-assurance is more powerful than his bully’s bravado. As a smile soon cracks on A-One’s face, he realizes he wouldn’t be anywhere without his companions, and so he returns the stolen items and rejoins the forgiving gang as an equal. The pen-and-watercolor illustrations are filled with expressive characters and Graham’s signature, whimsical details, such as the stuffed pig’s snout ring. This simple, affecting story will be welcome anywhere that more than two young kids are gathered together and where laughter, not mean words, is the lingua franca. Preschool-Grade 1. --Andrew Medlar

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1 edition (December 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763645354
• ISBN-13: 978-0763645359
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 0.4 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,329,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Rosen, an English poet, scriptwriter, broadcaster, and performer, has been writing for children since 1970. He lives in London with his wife and five children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great little story that will tell young children how to behave and not behave with their playmates!, February 2, 2010

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I'm Number One (Hardcover)

A-One was a rat-a-tat-tat windup toy soldier with a drum who claimed he was "number one" and was intent on bullying and intimidating all the other toys would do exactly what he wanted. He needed his one of his friends to wind him up and, after claiming that "A-One rules" and "A-One is number one" he insisted that Sally wind up his key. With a wide-eyed surprised look she did just that, but she had barely started when he criticized her efforts and asked Maddy, the duck to take a gander at it. Of course he was "so bad," Sid the pig stepped in to do the job, only to be told he was "the worst."

In spite of all the criticism, A-One was all wound up and leading his friends through the toy room. Bow, wow! He was so bossy even the dog was following along. One by one, he made fun of something each one of his friends was wearing and then claimed he'd take it. A knapsack looked just like something he'd need. "Look at you! You wear a knapsack! Sally is a silly-sack!" Before you know it, he had not only the knapsack, but also had Maddy's hat and Sid's scarf. Was there any way that everyone could be friends without being made fun of and bullied? Could A-One feel like a part of the group without feeling like he had to boss everyone around?

This is a great little story that will tell young children how to behave and not behave with their playmates. The bullying issue is quite obvious in this book and this alone would make this book an excellent read and discuss book in the homeroom or classroom setting. The problem is resolved in the book, but with some children this is not as easily accomplished. The artwork was charming and the quaint playful touches added a lot to this story. This is a fun lively story with a challenging message for young children to think about.