I Am Human: A Book Of Empathy (Review)

I like to write Two-Minute Reviews for busy caregivers and educators… Want a Two-Second Review? Skip to the Bottom Line section at the end of the post!

History

• Author: Susan Verde
• Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds
• Release: 2018

Readability

• Pages: 32
• Ages: 4-8
• Grades: Pre-3

Creativity

• Theme: There’s nothing but truth in advertising here: This is a book of empathy. It’s all about feelings.
• Words: The sentences are so simple and straightforward, which makes each word even more powerful.
• Images: The artwork has a wonderful balance of color. It’s both bold and soft at the same time. The lines flow, and feeling oozes from each drawing. The main character drawn is also a child of color, which adds elements of diversity inclusion, which I love.

Bottom Line

• Bye, Buy, or Borrow: Buy! There’s a reason I Am Human: A Book Of Empathy is a bestseller. It’s an all-around amazing book with a positive message that’s easy to read and understand at almost any age. It’s brilliant. It’s the kind of book I wish I’d written. It’s beautiful in the best ways – a great piece to keep on a bookshelf for years to come, just an arm’s length away when you need a pick-me-up on a tough day. This book is among my favorite sources of compassion and understanding, because we can’t do justice to our outward attempts to share these feelings if we don’t first come to practice them on ourselves. At a time when it feels like we’re all feeling and sharing more than ever before, a book like this helps build a great foundation for launching into other social and emotional discussions.
• Bonus: Both creators, Verde and Reynolds, have other projects out there. This is the first I’m reviewing, but expect more In fact, I have another favorite in particular that I plan to be reviewing sooner rather than later!

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