Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers

Title: Looking Like Me
Author/Illustrator: Walter Dean Myers/Christopher Myers
Genre: Fiction
Awards: School Library Journal Best of Books 2009; Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book 2009
Age: 4-8

This book is about a boy who describes the kind of person he is. It all starts with him looking at himself in the mirror and he first sees himself and he says I'm Jeremy. Then when he sees different people they remind him of different things he is, like a brother to his sister, a son to his father, a writer to his teacher, he was a city child to the mailman, an artist to his grandma, a dancer to a sweet girl he met on the street. He said he was a runner when he ran into his friend Karen, and added that to his growing list to who he is. His mother called him a dreamer, because he was constantly spreading fantasies across the sky, he dreamed of secret places, hidden faces, and black maids and knights who swooned and sighed. In the end the author challenges the reader to start an"I am" list, they can go find some friends and think of all the things they do and what their friends say. They should start with themselves in the mirror and be the first to give themselves a bam, which is a fist pump, but he was sure not to call it that.

I really enjoyed this book and think it's great for students to find what makes them, them. I think if I included this in a lesson it would be about students being themselves and what others thing makes them unique. Now if I did that, I would make sure my students know, that we're only going to say nice things about our classmates and what we think makes them special to our class. I think this book would be good for students in Pre-K-2nd grade since most times, they start to worry about what makes them special, so I think this book would be a great read for them. The illustrations by his son were very colorful and vibrant and abstract. This book embraces the differences in different children and who they are and can be.
- Peace. Love. Giraffes.

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