I Am Powerful: A Positive Power Story

K-Gr 2–A leveled reader with an uplifting story featuring a strong main character. ­Every Saturday, Amari and her sister, Marley, go to the rec center. While Nana teaches knitting and sewing, Marley goes to art class and ­Amari to dance class, where she learns to “swing,” “stomp,” “floss,” and “whip.” Her body language and the broad smile on her face are clear indications of how much she loves these weekly lessons. When the rec center is scheduled to close, Nana organizes a rally, which Marley and her friends advertise with flyers and posters. But how can Amari help? She decides to reach out to her teacher and her classmates with an ingenious plan to save the rec center and demonstrate that peaceful activism is powerful, even when the idea is the brainchild of a young girl. Amari and her family are Black, but people of many skin tones, backgrounds, and abilities, including a dance participant using a wheelchair, are represented in the cheerful illustrations. Excellent for early independent reading, this story also has potential for group sharing and discussion.