I'm Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis

I'm Gonna Like Me Author: Jamie Lee Curtis Illustrator: Laura Cornell Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers Copyright: 07/31/2007 Number of Pages: 32  Genre: Picture Book

I'm Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis is a fantastic book to read to students to help boost self-esteem.  The entire book follows one child on his journey of self love.  Through his proud moments and "oops" moments, the character likes himself at all times.  At the end of the book, the child, who is also the narrator, says that he likes himself all the time and asks the readers if they like themselves too.  When developing a safe and loving environment in the classroom, books like this one are great for teaching students that they are going to have their "oops" moments as well, and that's okay!  

This book is also great for students learning concepts of print because it breaks the "norm" of text placement.  The text is not in one or two rows on the top of the page, like most children's books.  Instead, the text varies from page to page.  It also varies from cursive to print, which is a great challenge for advanced students to read.  

The illustrations in this book are likely to catch the eye of a student.  The images appear to be hand drawn, perhaps with colored pencil.  The use of bright colors and cartoon-like features make this an appealing picture book.  The illustrator, Laura Cornell, has a very distinct style that is easily recognizable.