I Am Every Good Thing
by Derrick Barnes
illustrated by Gordon C. James
Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Random House), 2020. 32 pages.
Review written September 15, 2020, from a library book
Starred Review
I Am Every Good Thing is by the same people who created the picture book Crown that won multiple awards, and like that, this book vibrantly and joyfully celebrates black boyhood.
I tend to dismiss picture books about self-esteem, unless they tell a good story. This one does not. It’s purely inspirational. But it does a wonderful job of being inspirational.
The colorful paintings show black boys doing many different things. The accompanying text is the voice of the kids pictured telling how wonderful they are:
I am
a nonstop ball of energy.
Powerful and full of light.
I am a go-getter. A difference maker.
A leader.I am every good thing that makes the world go round.
You know – like gravity, or the glow of moonbeams
over a field of brand-new snow.I am good to the core, like the center
of a cinnamon roll.Yeah, that good.
The paintings are wonderful and varied. There’s a kid wincing after scraping his knee skateboarding and getting up again. There are kids swimming, playing music, looking through a microscope, and much more.
The book ends with an adorable boy smiling broadly at the reader. The words say:
And without a shadow
of a doubt,
I am worthy
to be loved.I am worthy
to be loved.
And that was the moment when tears came to my eyes. Because it shouldn’t need to be said. But yes, it needs to be said. That black boy pictured there – and every black boy – is worthy of love, as is every child on earth. But this book helps me see the beauty, the lovability the inherent worthiness in one set of beautiful children.
And in seeing the particular, it spreads love to the universal.
derrickdbarnes.com
gordoncjames.com
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Source: This review is based on a book from Fairfax County Public Library
Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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