Just Like Me by Author-Illustrator Vanessa Brantely-Newton [CeCe’s Book Review]

Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Published: January 2020
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, how I adored every bit of this book! Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s talent is a gift in every poetic line and in each beautifully detailed illustration. Just Like Me is just the right book for every little girl. It’s for the dreamers, the doorbusters, the ones who raise their voice. It’s for the soft-spoken and the chill girls, the warriors and the way-makers. It celebrates positive self-image, social and emotional well being, family and friendship, with a whole lot of heart.

Take the time to digest each poem. They are rich with encouragement, enveloped with honesty, and penned with care. Your reader is certain to find a reflection of themselves somewhere in and between the lines. I’m also confident that they will enjoy the bright colors and the variety of textures and patterns that Vanessa Brantley-Newton uses throughout. It is a sight to behold. I’ve been buying books for my nieces who range in age from 2 to 4 and Just Like Me is one that I will make sure to send them copies of. I will also be adding a copy to my K-5 library. It is recommended for ages 4-8.

Here is one of my favorite poems:

Explorer

I am an explorer
going places that I’ve never
even heard of
or seen with my eyes
But I feel in my heart
I am going places

And through daydreams
and night dreams
flying high in the sky
I am an explorer
exploring possibilities

– From Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

View all my reviews

Shout-Outs

Vanessa Brantley-Newton | https://www.vanessabrantleynewton.com/

Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s Portfolio on Painted Words Represents | https://painted-words.com/portfolio/vanessa-brantley-newton/

Borrowed from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library

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Find Just Like Me on Bookshop (raises money for local bookstores):

https://bookshop.org/a/10816/9780525582090

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(click on the book’s cover to access my affiliate link)

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