I like myself! I’m glad I’m me.
There’s no one else I’d rather be.
I like my eyes, my ears, my nose,
I like my fingers and my toes.
With hysterical illustrations, this book gives a very powerful message to children: they have every right to like themselves just as they are! The little girl in the book has outrageously wild hair, but that doesn’t matter. She likes it. She lives in a strange house with even stranger pictures on the walls, but it’s all a part of her world and so therefore, she likes it. She’s proud of who she is and where she comes from.
I like me on the inside, too,
For all I think and say and do.
Inside, outside, upside down,
From head to toe and all around,
I like it all! It all is me!
And me is all I want to be.
How can we ever place a value on our children’s self-esteem? Of all the things we can give them, I think this is one of the greatest. When they feel good about themselves, it’s easier for them to do what they know is right and to excel in the things that they try. I love how the above pages reinforce that a child’s thoughts are important. Those thoughts are what will govern their lives.
The book ends with a triumphant:
I like myself because I’m me!
How many forces exist that would tell our children that they are unimportant because they are young? How many times are their ideas overlooked or their feelings discounted because they are “just children?” How often do they feel devalued in a world of self-important adults?
This book came from the library, but I’m going to get a copy for my own bookshelf. I want my children to love themselves just like the little girl in this story, and I will read it to them often.
(This book was published in 2004 by Harcourt Books and was illustrated by David Catrow.)
Related Blogs:
Practical Ways to Build Self Esteem
Teaching Our Children Self Respect