Sharpening Your Saw: Body, Mind, Spirit & Soul
Book Review
I Am Me
By Trevor D, Illustrated by Christian Rudenko
Publisher: khpublishers.com
$8.99, 18 pp
How do parents and guardians instill positive images and a winning attitude in their young boys? Reading books that illustrate these actions and traits. Specifically, young African American adolescents’ males from birth to nine years old. Why? They need to see protagonists that reflect them. They need to see protagonists doing great things and feeling good about what they have accomplished.
First-time author Trevor D creates these images and actions in her debut children’s book, I Am Me. Trevor D. notes on her website that “black and brown boys are pulling up the rear when it comes to literacy, and she is determined to shift the paradigm, one book at a time.”
I Am Me promotes self-love with Jayden’s declaration that “No one can be me. No. not like me!” The young narrator acknowledges his skin is brown, like his mother, father, and best friend. He confidently shouts he can read and wins without cheating.
These are positive declarations that parents, guardians, and teachers should instill in young African American boys when they face anxiety and are considered “at-risk” in the classroom.
In Dr. Rashad Anderson’s book Wassup with All the Black Boys Sitting in the Principals Office? An Examination of Detrimental Teacher Interactions & School Practices, he claims black boys are invisible in the classroom. Teachers’ interactions can be “aggressive” and “intimidating.” In turn, young black boys can shut down. But when given encouragement through reading books like I Am Me, their self-confidence grows.
I Am Me is a book of affirmations. Jayden says: “I am pretty cool. No, I’m not shy.” “I do no cheat for any game I’m in.”
Not only do children need affirmations, but so do their parents, guardians, or whoever is reading with the child. Whether the young child is reading the book or listening to the book being read, the shared reading experience is highly beneficial. According to the article posted on Conversation, “parent-child reading activates brain areas related to narrative comprehension and mental imagery.”
I Am Me paints positive mental imagery with words and illustrations. The illustrations in I Am Me display a young Jayden smiling, wide-eyed, and happy surrounded by brown characters in the barbershop and at home with a Dad.
It may seem as though Jayden does nothing wrong and plays alone. Still, I Am Me shares a positive image mirroring Psalm 139:14a, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Listening to this story gives a sense of hopefulness that strengthens a young child’s ability to imagine a world where he is proud to be himself.
Source:
“Research shows the importance of parents reading with children-even after children can read.”