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5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book for Children, February 27, 2009
This review is from: My Name is Bertha (Paperback)
My Name is Bertha is about an overweight young girl. The teasing, name calling and problems that are associated with her weight problem are typical for a young person in her position. But the real problem isn't just her peers teasing her it's also the lack of help from some of the adults she encounters.
As a child, I too was overweight, so the pain that Bertha feels through her stories in this book hit home with me. I feel this is a wonderfully written book that would be helpful not just for young people who are overweight but also for those who look at a person, no matter the age, call them names, shun them and refuse to accept them as they are. This is a great book of moral teachings for young children and even some adults.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
My Name is Bertha, November 24, 2010
This review is from: My Name is Bertha (Paperback)
My Name is Bertha is a collection of inspiring stories about the titular protagonist, a ten-year-old worried about her weight. Searching for her place in the world, Bertha tests out her talents in dance, ice skating, and even playing punch-...ball. Sometime she fails, most times she succeeds, and always are her adventure ones that will inspire children to believe in themselves no matter what the obstacles in their way. As Bertha herself would say, "who you are inside makes the person, not what you look like on the outside." For the special child in your life, Bertha is a must-have read.
Nicole Izmaylov
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Stories for Children Magazine 5 Star Review, July 25, 2009
REVIEWED BY: Wayne S. Walker, reviewer with Stories for Children Magazine
Can you imagine how you would feel if you were ten or eleven years old, stood taller than anyone else in your class, and weighed 160 pounds? That is the situation with a girl named Bertha, who lives in New York City with her parents and siblings. She is a bright student in school and gets good grades, and she is also a talented musician. But because she is overweight, she is somewhat inept at physical activities. The book contains six stories, which author Fran Lewis says are all based on true events and which relate Bertha's trials with ice skating, playing punchball at camp, falling into a huge pothole, going to a school dance, taking dancing lessons, and bowling, all the while trying to lose weight and make friends. Will she ever be able to accomplish her goals?
Most of us know that there are times when kids--and adults, too--can be cruel. All children who have ever been teased, tormented, or mistreated because of something that makes them different will be able to identify with Bertha and her problems. Bertha does seem to whine and complain a lot. Not only is she frustrated when her schoolmates act mean, but she is also sometimes upset with her parents for not letting her be more updated and "cool." However, as the father of two sons, I can testify that children do tend to whine and complain. Parents who are concerned about society's pressure on kids to grow up too fast will want to be aware that in one story Bertha, who is just eleven, prepares for a school dance by getting her hair restyled, wearing lipstick, using some makeup, and finding a date. Fran says that she tried to write the book from the point-of-view of a child expressing her opinion, but as far as the typos go, the print-on-demand company had to redo the book several times but never seemed to get it right.
At the same time, aside from these small criticisms, I believe that there is a benefit for children in reading My Name Is Bertha. First, it will aid in understanding the feelings of people who are in Bertha's circumstances so that we can strive to be more tolerant. Each of us needs to remember that there are things that we are good at and things that we are not as good at. It is best to accept people for who they are. Also, seeing how Bertha learns from her mistakes and seeks to share what she has learned with the reader can be instructive. And the drawings by illustrator Jamie Miller, who is the author's niece, help to portray things from a child's point-of-view. There is definite trouble taken here to make us think, but there is also triumph.
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