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Summary
Summary
This loving ode to our shared humanity is the perfect introduction to conversations about identity and Anti-Racism.* "Will invite the book's audience to grapple with themes of individuality, diversity, universality, and what it means to be human." -- The Horn Book, starred review"Loved it." -- Jacqueline Woodson, former Ambassador of Young People's Literature Presented as a thoughtful, poetic exchange between two characters -- who don't realize they are thinking and asking the very same questions -- this beautiful celebration of our humanity and diversity invites readers of all ages to imagine a world where there is no you or me, only we.If the first step toward healing the world is to build bridges of empathy and celebrate rather than discriminate, Why Am I Me? helps foster a much-needed sense of connection, compassion, and love.
Author Notes
Paige Britt has been asking big questions since she was a small child. Her search for answers led her to write books that might inspire young readers to think, explore, and stay open to life's mysteries. Her debut novel, The Lost Track of Time , was hailed by Publishers Weekly in a starred review as an "exuberant homage to the power of imagination." Why Am I Me? is her first picture book. She lives near Austin, Texas, with her husband. Visit her online at paigebritt.com.
Selina Alko has always been curious about different people and cultures, which stems, in part, from growing up with a Canadian mother and a Turkish father, who spoke seven languages and taught her to paint. Her art brims with optimism, experimentation, and a deep commitment to multiculturalism and human rights. She is the author of The Case for Loving , which she illustrated with her husband, Sean Qualls, and the co-illustrator, also with Sean, of Two Friends by Dean Robbins. She has written and illustrated several other acclaimed picture books, including Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama and B Is for Brooklyn . She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family. Learn more at selinaalko.com.
Sean Qualls finds inspiration everywhere, from old buildings, nature, fairy tales, black memorabilia, and outsider art to cave paintings, African imagery, mythology, music, and his native Brooklyn. He is the co-illustrator, with his wife, Selina Alko, of the celebrated picture books Two Friends by Dean Robbins and The Case for Loving by Selina Alko. Other acclaimed picture books he has illustrated include Giant Steps to Change the World by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee, Little Cloud and Lady Wind by Toni Morrison and her son Slade, Dizzy by Jonah Winter, and Before John Was a Jazz Giant by Carole Boston Weatherford, for which he received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his family. Visit him online at seanqualls.com.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Britt tackles the metaphysical for the picture book crowd. Two (presumably) parent/child pairs approach a subway from different directions: an African American father and son and a light-skinned mother and daughter. The boy reads a book while riding a skateboard; the girl has a musical instrument case strapped to her back. As the kids notice each other, he wonders: "Why am I me.and not you?" She thinks: "Why are you, you.and not me?" And so it goes, with thoughts such as, "If someone else were me,/who would they be?/Someone lighter,/older,/darker,/bolder?" Alko and Quall's acrylic, colored pencil, and collage scenes portray a diverse population within the train car and seen through its windows. People of varying skin colors, physical abilities, and styles play, watch sports, or perform or listen to music. The thought bubble questions arise naturally; they're the kinds of things that would go through a child's mind when observing differences. The climax is spread over four openings. It begins with a triptych in which the star on the boy's shirt becomes a twinkle in his eye and then a glowing shape in the sky. After the girl's eye sparkles, the boy reaches out, and their faces intersect in a Venn diagram of friendship. VERDICT Universal questions combine with richly layered, captivating compositions, presenting opportunities for careful examination and stimulating conversations. Perfect for classroom or one-on-one sharing.-Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Britt (The Lost Track of Time) and husband-and-wife collaborators Qualls and Alko (The Case for Loving) are in a philosophical frame of mind. Their protagonists-a boy and a girl, one white, one brown-have boarded an elevated train with a parent (the boy has been to a bookstore, the girl to music lessons) and are headed home. As the train moves through the city-a benevolent, multicultural landscape depicted in lushly textured, jewel-toned collage and paint-the children fall into identical reveries. "Why am I me... and not you?" they wonder. Can you be "someone lighter, older, darker, bolder" and still be the same you? Britt doesn't offer a resolution-hardly surprising, since these questions have vexed philosophers for millennia-but the children aren't anxious. Both are happy and safe, and the park they pass is filled with people enjoying a fine evening together. Life is strange, when you think about it, but it can be good, too-which isn't a bad mixed message to send. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Marietta Zacker, Gallt & Zacker Literary. Illustrator's agent: (for Alko) Marietta Zacker, Gallt & Zacker Literary; (for Qualls) Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Two children think about some big questions in Britt, Qualls, and Alko's quiet picture book.As the sun sets, two childrenone with light brown skin and carrying a skateboard, the other light-skinned (possibly Asian or mixed-race) toting a guitartravel home on the train. At almost the same moment each child happens upon the same thought: "Why am I me / and not you?" Deceptively simple, the question is nearly fractal in its infinite scope, and the children silently connect with each other as they explore some of its depth. Ponderings such as "If I were someone else, / who would I be? // Someone taller, / faster, / smaller, / smarter?" are echoed and expanded by corresponding thoughts: "If someone else were me, / who would they be? // Someone lighter, / older, / darker, / bolder?" No answers disrupt the silent exchange between the childrenthe questions are thrilling, and the adventure is in the asking. The illustrations' mix of paint and collage style shows the fluid kinesis and multiculturalism of the world and people outside the train even as they fall subject to the children's musings. A stunning visual climax that expands from children to stars and back again elegantly captures the boundless immensity of self within an individual, between two, and among many that the protagonists have been exploring. A mindful, captivating ode to wonder and a must for any story- or bedtime repertoire. (Picture book. 4-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Imagining what it's like to be someone else can bring understanding, empathy, and an appreciation of our differences and similarities. Two children, an African American boy and a light-skinned, red-haired girl, are each accompanied to the elevated commuter train by a parent. The boy holds a book and skateboard, while the girl carries a musical instrument. As they ride, they consider each other's lives and those of the many diverse individuals both inside the train and outside the windows, wondering why they are themselves and not someone else. How different would each of their lives be if they were someone taller, faster, smaller, smarter? The brightly colored illustrations using collage, acrylic paint, and colored pencil to depict people of various hues, ages, and physical abilities who fill the train and park outside the windows. A concluding scene shows the children's faces overlapping, sharing one star-filled eye, symbolizing hope for our future if we can attempt to be more insightful about others. This intriguing title will stimulate incisive discussion in storytime or classroom.--Owen, Maryann Copyright 2017 Booklist