FICTION

A Girl Like You

by Frank Murphy & Carla Murphy (text) & illus. by Kayla Harren
Sleeping Bear. Jul. 2020. 32p. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781534110960.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 4–Strong, daring, brave, and bold are the watchwords in this text, as an omniscient narrator reminds the beautiful girl in the text to be the best “you” she can be: “Bold girl, speak up. It’s okay to disagree with people. Our differences teach us about one another.” The entire book is devised to be permission for everyone to be themselves, regardless of gender, ability, age, interests, strengths, and/or religion. It’s a soothing text, and the illustrator takes the universal message of empowerment and brings it down to the personal with impressionistic scenes of a diverse array of occasionally stiff people cut with those of a young girl, with black hair, brown skin, and rosy cheeks, expressing herself in pursuit of school, hobbies, and friendship.
VERDICT The message is simple but bears repeating, and this is a welcome addition for any collection needing pages in which children see themselves.
Reviewed by Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal , Jun 12, 2020

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