I Can Be... Me!

“I can be everything I want to be./ I can be all of magnificent me!” Leading on from the titular phrase, chipper couplets promote empowerment through dress-up and play in this inclusive excursion. Newman’s energetic first-person verse emphasizes self-acceptance as the speaker describes embracing a wide range of activities (basketball and ballet), fashions (blue jeans and nail polish), and feelings (anger and sadness). Employing clean lines and rainbow colors, Gonzalez’s naïf-style colored pencil, pencil, and watercolor art portrays kids in suits and ruffles and rainbow hues. A spread of children decked out as royalty (“I can dress like a prince/ with a crown on my head// or wear a long gown/ like a princess instead”) portrays the group with varying skin tones and hairstyles, and pinks and purples abound during an ice-skating excursion. The cumulative cheerleading effect is a powerful affirmation of self. Ages 4–7. (Mar.)