Book Description
for A Girl Like Me by Angela Johnson and Nina Crews
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Three contemporary Black girls enact dreams that are visualized in dynamic digital photo and vector graphic collage art. The first one describes her dream of flying high in Supergirl underwear, "with everybody I know saying "A girl like you shouldn't be flying up there in your underwear." The next girl envisions striding over tall buildings while people tell her to get down, and the third imagines swimming and seeing everything deep in the ocean, despite those on shore who tell her to stay dry. The three join forces, gathering capes, hats, scarves, and lead a diverse group of their peers to the ocean's edge, where they gather joyously on a beach, "'cause a girl like me should always be thinking way up high / and making everything better than the dream." This empowering message resonates through the final pages, with photos of the 12 girls included in the book and a descriptive personal statement from each, ranging from favorite foods and colors to their own unrestricted dreams for their future selves. (Ages 4-8)
CCBC Choices 2021. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2021. Used with permission.