Big Bold Beautiful Me: A Story That's Loud and Proud and Celebrates You!

by Jane Yolen, Maddison Stemple-Piatt, Chloe Burgett (Illustrator)

Overview

Kids will delight in reading Big, Bold, Beautiful Me and find themselves marching along and standing side-by-side protagonists just like them who portray body positivity in a loud, proud, and very fun way.

Grown-ups will welcome the message of healthy attitudes when facing negative or derogatory comments of others. Together it is a valuable resource for young readers to confidently embrace who they are with big bold beautiful appeal to teachers, librarians, counselors, and parents, too.  

 I pull my shoulders back, and I walk with pride
Hiking with my Nana, going stride for stride.
Then I look in the mirror—and what do I see?
Big and bold and beautiful me!

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433838651
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	09/06/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jane Yolen is the author of over 400 books for children and adults. Her books, stories, and poems have won many awards including the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, three Golden Kite Awards, and the Jewish Book Award. She lives in Hatfield, MA. Visit janeyolen.com, @Jane.Yolen on Facebook, @JaneYolen on Twitter, and @JYolen on Instagram.

Maddison Stemple-Piatt is Jane’s first grandchild. Following in her Nana’s footsteps, she trained in ballet from a young age. She has earned her bachelor’s in Psychology with minors in Spanish and Dance, her master’s in Criminology and Criminal Justice, and is currently a Juris Doctor candidate. She lives in St. Petersburg, FL.

Chloe Burgett is a children's book illustrator. She is the SCBWI Illustrator Coordinator for Nebraska. Visit chloebartistry.com and @chloeb.artistry on Instagram.

Editorial Reviews

10/31/2022

Body positivity shines through a jaunty rhyming text from Yolen and Stemple-Piatt, in which a cast of children—portrayed with varying abilities, body types, and skin tones—each embraces their embodiment, introducing a feature that others have commented upon. “Some kids gawk at my legs and my thighs,/ ’cause they’re thick like columns/ that reach to the skies.// But they help me jump, even higher than my sister,” offers one child flying high on a playground swing. Individual examples are then followed by the hearty refrain “When I look in the mirror,/ what do I see?// Big and bold and beautiful me!” Burgett’s images effectively use mirrors to depict the kids’ attitude shifts as they share their stories—from initial peering to celebrating their own reflection. As the expressive children, one by one, gather to play at a nearby park, readers may well be feeling the cheerful undercurrent of affirmation and support. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2022-07-27
Children celebrate their abundant bodies, from their hair to their feet.

Prolific author Yolen joins forces with her grandchild Stemple-Piatt to create a simple, rhyming picture book about the beauty and power of large bodies. Depicting kids with a variety of skin tones, the story employs a gentle formula to uplift physical features that children may feel self-conscious of, including wide feet, thick thighs, and long arms. Each child describes a body part that often attracts attention (a Black youth notes, “Some friends mention my very broad shoulders / Say I’d make small work of mighty big boulders”), followed by a positive framing of the part in question (“But I pull my shoulders back, and I walk with pride”). Each segment concludes with the titular affirmation: “Then I look in the mirror—and what do I see? / BIG and BOLD and BEAUTIFUL me!” As each child repeats the celebratory refrain, Burgett’s cheerful illustrations portray them alongside kids from previous spreads, emphasizing connection and belonging. Disability isn't discussed in the text, though characters with disabilities (including a child with a limb difference and another child who uses a hearing aid) are depicted. In a growing landscape of body-positive children’s literature, this book’s overworked rhymes keep it from shining, but those looking for a gentle introduction to body acceptance will find it a solid option.(This book was reviewed digitally.)

An upbeat, uncomplicated ode to bodies that are big, thick, broad, and boundless. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews