I Can Be . . . Me!

by Lesléa Newman (Author) Maya Gonzalez (Illustrator)

I Can Be . . . Me!
Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

From bestselling author Lesléa Newman -- a joyful picture book celebration of individuality, uniqueness, and children's freedom to express themselves while engaging in whatever kinds of play they choose.

I can be everything I want to be, I can be all of magnificent me!

In this lighthearted story, a group of six, colorfully clad children exuberantly explore -- through play -- the many ways they can be themselves. They are free to embrace all kinds of activities, reveling in the fun of trying new things and discovering new ways of being. They can shoot baskets, dance around a room, weave ribbons through their hair, swim like a mermaid, and more. There is no right way or wrong way. There are no binary expectations. Children explore their individuality through whatever kinds of play appeal to them.

With lively, gender-neutral rhyming verses and fun, gender-bending images, author Lesléa Newman and illustrator Maya Christina Gonzalez invite young readers into a space where creativity and acceptance are enjoyed by all, and where each child will be inspired to say, "I can be . . . me!"

Select format:
Hardcover
$19.95

Review quotes

Lesléa Newman

Lesléa Newman is the author of more than fifty books for young readers, including Heather Has Two Mommies, and two other books illustrated by Susan Gal: Welcoming Elijah, and Here is the World . Among her many accolades are the Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award, two National Jewish Book Awards, two Stonewall Honors, and a creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. She lives in Massachusetts with her spouse and their cat, Mitzi.

Susan Gal has written and illustrated several picture books including Night Lights, Please Take Me for a Walk and Twogether. Her illustrated books have been recognized with the Sydney Taylor Award, the National Jewish Book Award, and most recently both a Robert F. Sibert Honor and the Russell Freedman Nonfiction Award for a Better World for The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs by Chana Stiefel. Susan lives in Berkeley, California with her family. You can see more of her work at galgirlstudio.com.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781643792057
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Lee & Low Books
Publication date
March 21, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JUV060000 - Juvenile Fiction | LGBT
Library of Congress categories
Identity
Self-confidence
Stories in rhyme

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