This is me! by Sally Morgan

A solid board book, vibrant and durable will be a treat for all mums and dads with young children to entertain and encourage. Morgan’s seemingly simple text is rich in meaning, spurring a child to think beyond what she sees. The opening line, ‘I can fly high like a shooting star’, reveals possible worlds outside her own, encouraging the child to look up, to see beyond. Accompanied by Morgan’s distinctive highly coloured illustration of a shooting star crossing the night sky, the text will be read and read again. 

Each double page presents a positive statement about what the girl can do, ‘I can follow my heart’, ‘I can stand  strong’ followed by a simile which compares the statement to something in the environment - a mighty tree, a shining river, and a wise bird.

But then the text changes and becomes statements in the reverse. ‘Like the shimmering sun, I’m proud to belong’ accompanied by an illustration of a family. Over the page, ‘Like the magical moon, I dream big dreams’, and lastly ‘This is me!’

Each page sings with possibilities, encouraging the child to be proud, to stand up for herself, to follow her dreams. The book celebrates the child and all that she promises to be. 

The board book will withstand the multiple readings it will have, passed from hand to hand as children read of the positives in their lives and what they can achieve. 

Morgan uses her illustrative techniques to place the child at the centre of each page: we turn the page looking for the girl, and then view her surroundings, satisfied that she is at the heart of all she surveys. And each page reveals a bird shadowing her statements about her self worth.

Themes: Self worth, Love, Family, Dreams, Aspirations, Self belief.

Fran Knight