Starring Hillary

Kathy Caple's "Starring Hillary" is about a little girl (well, a little girl cat) named Hillary who is perfectly happy with herself until she finds out that maybe she ought to lose a little bit of weight. As it turns out, Hillary's all-time-favorite heroine, an actress, is ever-so-slightly chunky just like Hillary is--and Hillary learns that there's nothing wrong with bodies coming in all shapes, sizes, and colors.It's an important lesson, but Caple sometimes edges into pedagogy in telling it. Still, overall, this is a valuable book--for little girls especially.

If you are looking for a book that children will enjoy and will build self esteem at the same time, then this is a book for you. The author deals with a difficult topic, weight, yet it is one most young children are already painfully aware of. This book helps children to see themselves as alright despite their size or shape. I am a teacher of 5 and 6 year olds and my class enjoyed the story as just a story but best of all they also related to it's theme of liking and accepting ourselves. After reading this book and the author's other book "The Biggest Nose", my class is beginning to say,"Hey I like myself."