Just Because I Am: A Child's Book of Affirmation

I saw this book and didn't think anything of it, then I checked it out at the library and discovered that my daughter loved it (4 years old) and it brought up many discussions about herself and others. We love reading it together! I had to buy it because she kept wanting to check it out again, and again.

This is an excellent book, it's not hokey and fake like many "self-esteem" books. The content is right on target, speaking exactly to kids' interests and parents' concerns. My first grader took it to school to read, the teacher loved it--wanted to know where I got it.

When I inherited my now nine year old daughter after her mother died, this is a book I wish we had found right away. Before we finished the first page, Kim started saying things like, "This is excellent," and "This is my favorite book ever." All of the concerns of this young lady were addressed and affirmed: appearance, feelings, privacy, changes and more. Just Because I Am truly helped her understand that even with her experiences, she really is a worthwhile person. Hearing it from the perspective of a stranger (the author)and accompanied by the brightly colored illustrations of just the right complexity gave this much more weight than all the times I have expressed similar concepts in less lovely prose.