Monday 9 July 2012

I'm Me, by Sara Sheridaw and Margaret Chamberlain

It's a rare thing - in my experience, anyway - that package delivery companies turn up when they're supposed to. Today was no exception, so Daughter and I dutifully stayed by the hearth, awaiting our bounty from Approved Foods.

Happily, we were kept entertained by a review copy of I'm Me by Sara Sheridaw and Margaret Chamberlainfrom Chicken House. (Thank you!)



This book is good.I mean, Norman the Slug good. Following the adventures - or rather, would-be adventures - of Imogen and Auntie Sara, I'm Me was a book that really struck a chord. Auntie Sara's enthusiastic attempts to engage Imogen in a variety of beautifully illustrated games, and Imogen's eventual request that they simply remain themselves, is something that I'm sure most parents (and Aunties) can relate to.

I find often find myself trying to encourage imaginative play and forget that splashing in puddles and eating ice cream can be an adventure in itself. As grown-ups, I think it's sometimes hard to remember that the world is full of incredibly fun things to do, without having to resort to the old staples of pirates, knights and princesses. It was lovely to be reminded of this.

Daughter loved the book too - it really engaged her in a way I've not seen before. There's something about the illustrative style which she found particularly appealing, pointing at 'imagined' Imogen and then at 'narrative' Imogen, identifying that they were the same character. What I also found incredibly exciting was the page in which Imogen is depicted as a witch's cat - Daughter pointed at the protagonist in her costume, said 'cat' and then proceeded to point to the 'real life' Imogen whilst shaking her head and saying 'cat' again. Her words might still be limited, but Daughter's communication is becoming increasingly less so.

This is definitely one for the favourites' shelf and I would heartily recommend it to anyone looking for something a little unusual for a younger child.

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