Looking Like Me

Myers, Walter Dean, and Christopher Myers. Looking like me. New York: Egmont USA, 2009. ISBN 978-1-60684-001-6

Plot Summary:

Jeremy looks into a mirror one morning and sees a “handsome dude” looking back. As the day continues, Jeremy learns just how truly unique he is. As he meets family members, friends, teachers, and community helpers, Jeremy adds many talents and traits to his view of himself. By the end of the day, Jeremy is a brother, son, writer, dancer, and much more.

Critical Analysis:

Looking Like Me, by Walter Dean Myers and illustrated by Christopher Myers, is an eye-catching work of fiction for readers young and old alike. The poetic language depicts the main character, Jeremy, as he discovers new and unique personal characteristics. From being a brother, to a dancer, to a city child, Jeremy learns to appreciate all of his unique qualities. The book is set in Harlem, a crowded New York city, described as having dizzy heights and neon lights. The illustrations are collage-styled and include photographs, many of city sights. The majority of the illustrations are photographs. The photographs depict the African-American heritage and culture well, and include African tribal clothing, jewelry, and African animals. The illustrations are colorful and rich in cultural details. African-American cultural markers in this book include, clothing, hairstyles, and language. This quick story encourages readers to embrace their personal qualities and to love their unique characteristics.

Awards and Reviews:

Best Children's Books of the Year , 2010 ; Bank Street College of Eduation; United States

Booklist Book Review Stars , Oct. 15, 2009 ; American Library Association; United States

Choices, 2010 ; Cooperative Children's Book Center; United States

Kirkus Book Review Stars, September 15, 2009 ; United States

Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts, 2010 ; NCTE Children’s Literature Assembly; United States

School Library Journal Best Books, 2009 ; United States

Booklist:

Walt Whitman once wrote, “I contain multitudes,” and that important concept is brilliantly interpreted here by the Myers’ father-son partnership. The elder Myers’ rhythmic poem celebrates a young Everyman from Harlem who looks in the mirror to “see a real handsome dude looking just like me.” Moving through the city, he encounters family and friends who share their points of view: “Along came my sister, / fine as she can be. / ‘Hey, Jeremy,’ she said, / ‘You’re little brother to me.’” Each helps him see that he is a valued artist, runner, dreamer, and more, and that he has a lot to give to himself and the world. The innovative art and design represent different identities with colorful silhouettes placed against photos of people, places, and icons. Sometimes the connections are more obvious, like the photo of a sun, which plays on the word son, and there is an image of a stingray accompanying Jeremy’s reference to himself as “a silver-rayed moonbeamer”; other images, such as Buddha heads, giraffes, and ketchup bottles, suggest more abstract connections. The overall effect is that of performers in front of a huge screen of rapidly changing images at a pop concert or a video game, and blocks of solid color provide visual rest and keep the gutters clear. This very contemporary work is encouraging, energetic, and inspired.

Kirkus:

The Myerses—father and son—reunite for a poetic celebration of self that blends a sort of Whitman-esque hip-hop with '70s-vibe visuals. Adapting the cumulative cadences of Bill Martin's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Walter Dean Myers's text immediately establishes a preeminent self-affirmation: "I looked in the mirror / And what did I see? / A real handsome dude looking just like me." Narrator Jeremy hears from a succession of family, neighbors and community members and adds role after role to his portfolio. He's a brother, son, writer, city kid, artist, dancer, talker, runner, dreamer: "Looked in the mirror— / I look like a crowd." Christopher Myers overlays eclectic photo collages with stylized, silhouetted figures in saturated hues of chartreuse, butternut, chocolate, magenta and more. The text's two upper-case typefaces look like gritty, spray-painted stencils and whimsical woodcuts. There's a touch of call-and-response in the refrain ("He put out his fist. / I gave it a BAM!") that begs to be read aloud. This vibrant synthesis of poetry and pictures is a natural for classrooms and family sharing.

Connections:

Share this book in a storytime or lesson about self-esteem. Use this book in an art lesson about colors, contrast, or collage.

Check out the following titles about individuality for young children…

Brooks, Erik. Polar opposites. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Children, 2010.

Jenkins, Emily, and Tomasz Bogacki. Daffodil, crocodile. New York: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2007.

Parr, Todd. It's okay to be different. New York: Little, Brown, 20092001.

Schaefer, Lola M., and Kevan Atteberry. Frankie Stein. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2007.

Tabor, Nancy. Somos un arco iris/We are a rainbow We are a rainbow. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 1995.