From Publishers Weekly
Like Dr. Seuss's "Sam I Am" (from
Green Eggs and Ham), Prelutsky's trio of heroes extols the virtues of individualism. However, it is Davenier's (
Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen) imaginative artwork that brings this playful picture book uniquely to life. All of the three featured characters insist, "I am the only
Me I Am/ who qualifies as me;/ no
Me I Am has been before,/ and none will ever be." Davenier portrays each child with enough specific details and comedic vignettes to create three visual stories even though the poem itself does not differentiate character traits or personal effects. A sports-minded girl full of joie de vivre rejects a fancy dress in favor of a pirate's outfit. A budding scientist happily creates a makeshift bird hospital for an injured feathered friend. An inventive aspiring ballerina creates a hat from a tissue box, and gives a backyard performance with her dog ("Tickets 5¢"). When her pet steals the word "
Me" from the text, all three children join up in hot pursuit of the pooch, attracting many other kids. On the final spread, the multicultural parade climbs over the word
Me! as if it were an enticing piece of playground equipment. Davenier's distinctive, lively illustrations save the book from being an endorsement of the Me-too generation's fixation on the self. She transforms it into a celebration of creativity and emphasizes all those human endeavors that both set us apart and bring us together. Ages 3-6.
(May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2–This is the picture-book version of Prelutsky's ode to individuality, originally anthologized in
The Random House Book of Poetry for Children (1983). In the brief lines of verse, children celebrate the things that make them unique emotionally (No other ME I AM can feel/the feelings I've within), physically (no other ME I AM can fit/precisely in my skin), and universally (I am the only ME I AM/this earth shall ever see). The poem is repeated three times, each time featuring a different child. Readers meet a girl who would rather roller skate and ride her bike than wear frilly dresses, a boy who loves science and nature, and a budding ballerina who loves being center stage. In the end, the youngsters come together and they are joined by many other children, all celebrating with the last line, …that ME I AM I always am/is no one else but–/ME! Davenier's colorful illustrations capture the ebullience of the children as well as their intensity as they pursue their interests. Her delicate use of watercolors and her sketchy line create the feeling of gaiety and movement, yet elegantly convey personality and emotion. As a result, the poem comes alive with a freshness that honors children on the road to self-discovery and exuberantly celebrates the differences that make them who they are.–
Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
