CM Magazine: Know Me.

________________ CM . . . . Volume XXIV Number 27. . . .March 16, 2018

cover
Know Me.

Linda E. Briden. Illustrated by Daria Pekh.
Victoria, BC.: Tellwell Talent, 2017.
36 pp., pbk. & hc., $8.99 (pbk.), $15.99 (hc.).
ISBN 978-1-77302-694-7 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-77302-695-4 (hc.).

Grades 2-5 / Ages 7-10.

Review by Kristen Ferguson.

*** /4

excerpt:

Do you know how my brain works?
And what I’m good at?

Some parts of my story may be the same as yours.
But some parts are different.

While a short text, Know Me presents big ideas. We are all unique individuals who want to belong. Know Me uses a series of questions and short statements to explore how, as people, we are the same and yet different.

Do you know what scares me?
Do you know what makes me happy?

Pekh’s illustrations are monochromatic with only splashes of colour. On the last page when the narrator declares, “I want you to know me”, soft colour radiates off the page, bringing the narrator to life. The narrator of the story appears in illustrations as possibly female but mostly androgynous as the text of Know Me could be anyone’s voice. The illustrations take up the majority of the pages, making it a good choice for sharing with large groups of children.

Because it can provoke so much discussion, Know Me may be best suited as a classroom resource. It fits well with what many schools are already doing in terms of character education programs. Know Me would be an excellent book for teachers and students exploring topics of inclusion, accepting differences, fostering empathy, being a “new” person in a situation, and challenging assumptions and preconceived notions about people. The book’s questioning format could also act as a springboard for classroom activities, such as interviewing a classmate or answering the questions Know Me poses in a journal format.

Recommended.

Dr. Kristen Ferguson teaches literacy education at the Schulich School of Education at Nipissing University in North Bay.

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