Review - Just Like Me

Just Like Me
by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Date: 2020
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

An ode to the girl with scrapes on her knees and flowers in her hair, and every girl in between, this exquisite treasury will appeal to readers of Dear Girl and I Am Enough and have kids poring over it to find a poem that's just for them.

I am a canvas
Being painted on
By the words of my family
Friends
And community

From Vanessa Brantley-Newton, the author of Grandma's Purse, comes a collection of poetry filled with engaging mini-stories about girls of all kinds: girls who feel happy, sad, scared, powerful; girls who love their bodies and girls who don't; country girls, city girls; girls who love their mother and girls who wish they had a father. With bright portraits in Vanessa's signature style of vibrant colors and unique patterns and fabrics, this book invites readers to find themselves and each other within its pages.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

It's been so long since I was a kid. I'm not sure if this is the sort of thing kids would like. I'm especially not sure if it's something today's kids would like. As an adult, I enjoyed it and probably got quite a bit out of it. I'm just not sure of the appeal of free-verse poetry for the younger set.

What I really like here, though, are the illustrations. I've read other books written and/or illustrated by Brantley-Newton, and I've usually been impressed. Here, we have a diverse cast of female characters set against lovely mixed-media backdrops that are exploding with colour and whimsy. While some of the poems left me feeling a bit indifferent, most of the illustrations had me eagerly poring over the pages and anticipating what I'd see when I'd turn to the next spread.

I think this might be more suitable for slightly older girls (there's a poem about pimples in here, after all) who are starting to think more about themselves and their place in the world. I'd recommend this one for the illustrations alone, but those who can get something out of the text will probably find this one to be a winner.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.67 out of 5