What Makes Me a ME?

What Makes Me a ME? by Ben Faulks
Illustrated by David Tazzyman
Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Date: 1 October 2017
R.R.P: $14.99

“Who am I?” I ask myself. “What makes me a ME?”

Have you ever wondered what makes you a YOU? It isn’t something I think about often, but in this delightful book that celebrates the differences that make us who we are, I started thinking about it more.

Ben Faulks has captured my imagination and got me to run with it to discover who I am, just as the boy in the book does.  The boy goes on a journey of self discovery and awareness that is portrayed in a way to make you laugh and be at ease with differences.  He discovers that sometimes he is slow like a snail but he’s not exactly the same, especially when it comes to the shiny backpack.  Each page the combination of words and pictures had me smiling widely and laughing, especially when he talks about his mums dancing, and not understanding why Super Guy loves kissing girls.

The illustrator has drawn the best facial expressions on the little boy in the book, in fact all the illustrations are nothing short of perfection. The best picture in the whole book is the “Sometimes I’m like a volcano…” page, best tantrum picture ever.  The paint explosion out of the little guys head, the red face and the clenched hands I know I have seen before and I am sure many little ones will relate to it.  This particular page makes me appreciate the artistry and imagination that children’s book illustrators have.

This book would be good to use with children that find it hard to accept who they are, to support children’s self-esteem, or to just help children be aware that who they are is a perfectly made combination of many things.  Whichever way you choose to use this book, it will have impact, whether that be on yourself or your child.

Everybody’s DIFFERENT in their own way. So what makes me a me is…ME!

Thank you Bloomsbury Children’s Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.