I love springtime. Everything comes back to life including our picture books. Today we are sharing two newly released picture books about finding oneself and staying true to oneself. The first book is Who Are You? by Claire Keane. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8 and is a wonderful book for springtime and getting outside!
About the Book:
Who are you?
asks the wide world around me.
I am the solid rock beneath me,
the soft clouds above me
and the air moving through me
With each step in nature, a young girl contemplates her place in the world. The question, "Who Are You?" becomes a mantra, asked by the wide sky above and the valley below. It echoes through her adventures as she encounters life's simple treasures—a fallen acorn, a graceful butterfly, the embrace of a towering tree. But everything isn’t sunshine and butterflies. There are also unexpected challenges—the sting of raindrops, the uncertainty of darkness. But as the girl perseveres, she realizes that every moment—light or dark—is part of the journey that will lead her to where she needs to be and who she is meant to become.
Here is a moving and whimsical picture book that places value on who you are, not what you are.
From Me:
Who are you? What forms who you are? In this sweet book a young girl discovers who she is by exploring nature. There are moments of light and happiness as well as dark and gloominess, but each helps shape her. It is a wonderful message about what shapes our lives to make us who we are and who we are to become.
I see this book as a metaphor. Our experiences--good and bad--shape us. The book shares one day in the young girl's life but it is really about how our environment and experiences. This book is perfect for sharing how our world shapes us to young children but also to share with older kids at graduation or people starting a next phase of life. It is also a wonderful book for a classroom and for spring as people are getting outside and exploring more.
Our next book is about a princess. This princess finds a way to be true to herself even though it goes against tradition. The book is Enough Elizabeths by Heather Harris Bergevin and illustrated by Lexi Hall.
About the Book:
A princess with an embarrassing secret.The dragon who may have eaten her.
Can the kingdom save Elizabeth from a princess-napping, or will the dragon be napping instead?
Does it count as princess-napping if the dragon is just trying to take a nap? Elizabeth is a princess in a tower... who is scared of heights. It's a tradition in her kingdom, and an honor, to have a tower bedroom, so what's a princess to do? When a dragon moves into her suspiciously clean room, monarchs and palace officials run up and fall down trying to deal with the moody intruder. Will they be able to negotiate with the dragon to hand her over? With a flurry of characters helping out, including the determined prime minister and a reluctant knight, surely this problem can be solved! But will the princess be able to keep her secret?
From Me:
This kingdom builds towers for each princess to occupy on her tenth birthday. Our princess is turning ten but has an issue--she is afraid of heights. The castle has a different issue. Since her tower room is empty a dragon moves in to hibernate. The king and queen and all the various servants of the castle try to get the dragon to leave. She won't. She is very confused as to what an Elizabeth actually is. Finally, Princess Elizabeth solves the problem. She heads up to her tower room. She makes a deal with the dragon. The dragon can stay but needs to protect the castle and kingdom and not attack anyone in the kingdom.
I love how Elizabeth is true to herself. She actually finds the courage to first go against her fear of heights to talk to the dragon and compromises with the dragon to keep her kingdom safe. She also admits to her parents that she prefers her bedroom in the dungeon. She is the only one who sees the dragon as a good thing but finds a solution for all of them to be happy. This book is perfect for princess and dragon lovers! It is a wonderful story about being true to yourself. It also shares the idea of compromising and watching out for others. For more princess and dragon stories, be sure to check these out.
