Starred review from October 15, 2019
This Australian import is a 24-page affirmation of self-worth for children everywhere. Morgan and Kwaymullina, both from the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia, use traditional Aboriginal-style art to illustrate the unique attributes that make a child loved and lovable. Vibrant, patterned colors in deep, rich hues frame each page while dots, stripes, stars, and swirling bands of color emphasize the joyous message. Two smiling brown-skinned children, sometimes joined by a black-and-white spotted dog, are haloed in variously colored auras that emphasize their singularity and seem to radiate self-love. The occasional rhymes in the text are unobtrusive but not forced. "Thin" is rhymed with "green," and "loud" with "proud." But when a rhyme is not readily available, the rhyme scheme is sensibly abandoned in favor of clarity; there is no attempt to rhyme "I love me! I love my ears. I love my laugh. / I love the way my toes make art." Onomatopoeic words repeated three times ("tap," "thump," etc.) add energy and rhythm. On the next-to-last page, one child with crossed arms looks directly at readers to ask, "Who else would I be?" before returning to the refrain, "And I love, love, love me!" You just gotta "love, love, love" this joy-filled book. (Board book. 1-3)
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