I AM ME!

A short, cheerful board book packed with photos of diverse children.

In Li’s debut, the goal is clearly to show that diversity is worth celebrating. Amusing, engaging photographs of children of a range of ethnicities experiencing a variety of activities are set against illustrator Wong’s cartoonish, bright backgrounds to provide visual interest and fodder for conversation between child and caregiver. Simple fonts and appealing design make for easy, accessible reading. Lack of patterns or clear connections between pictures and text may cause confusion, however. For example, the sentence “We are all different and different is lovely” accompanies an image of a child clutching his face and shrieking in shock; “I am happy because I am me” is paired with an image of a crying child eating watermelon. Disability politics appear briefly: “I have a friend, she has special needs, and she is friendly, just like me” appears with an image of a White girl with Down syndrome who has paint on her fingers—a positive portrayal which sits alongside the dated terminology of special needs and the girl’s implied difference from the implicitly abled narrator, who speaks for all children. While the nod is admirable, the text lacks content or information about navigating disability, finding community, or helping each other.

Expressive photos and visual diversity; tepid text.