OLIVETTE IS YOU

Actor/model Tortorella pens an ode to self-confidence.

A wide-eyed, tan-skinned child with short brown hair leaps out of bed and declares, “My name is Olivette, / And all of it is me.” Talk about self-assurance and positivity! Olivette clearly has a great sense of self already. But what the child doesn’t explain, at least at first, is what all of it is. Olivette adds, “I have special powers / To be all I want to be.” Readers may surmise that “all of it” refers to…well, everything in the world. Olivette embraces changing moods (“Some days I feel so happy”; “Some days I feel so grumpy”), a shifting sense of self, and different talents (“Sometimes I skate, / Or cook, / Or swim”). Olivette has an enviable self-awareness and exhorts readers to feel likewise. This gently rhyming book soon moves from an Olivette-centric focus to one about general positivity and inclusivity: “We are all connected, / Part of this great big universe. / Each one made by a higher power: No one better, no one worse.” The colorful, lively digital illustrations portray great diversity, with characters varying in terms of skin color, hair color and style, age, body shape and size, ethnicity, religion, clothing choice, and physical ability. Nothing about this tale is all that original or profound, but many kids will relate.

Take a cue from this assertive protagonist: Rejoice in who you are and be all you can be.