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I Am Someone Else

Poems About Pretending

Illustrated by Chris Hsu
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Hardcover
$16.99 US
9.31"W x 9.38"H x 0.46"D   | 15 oz | 32 per carton
On sale Jul 02, 2019 | 32 Pages | 9781580898324
Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3
Celebrated poet Lee Bennett Hopkins shares a diverse collection of poems that ask (with the help of Newbery medalist Lois Lowry, former US Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis, and others), "Who do you want to be?"

Kids can imagine pretending and dressing up in this playful poetry collection, flexing their creative muscles and bucking stereotypes. (Who says that girls can't be knights and boys can't be mermaids?) Fifteen poets write about who they might like to be, musing what life would be like as a wizard, a firefighter, a video-game inventor, and more.

"There is nothing better than being yourself. You are unique and special in every way. Once in a while it might be fun to think about becoming someone (or something!) else. Who would you like to be? Imagine that you're someone else!" --Lee Bennett Hopkins
"Imagine! Wish! Support! Invent!"Hopkins organizes this brief, thematic anthology into three sections under the larger umbrella of imagining: "Wish! Be a Storybook Character"; "Support! Be a Person Who Helps"; and "Invent! Be a Person Who's a Maker." Each of the collected poems is written in the first-person, and Hsu's energetic, cartoon-style digital illustrations depict the diverse children as the individual speakers. Words and pictures alike often upend stereotypes and gender norms. For example, a poem about pretending to be a mermaid by Janet Clare Fagal depicts a brown-skinned child with tight, close-cropped curls wearing a green, striped T-shirt as the voice of the poem, allowing children of varying gender identifications to see themselves. Hopkins' introductory statement affirms that "There is nothing better than being yourself," which doesn't undermine the title in the least since he goes on to affirm the fun in pretend play. Sometimes such play is aspirational, and the poems included in the categories "Support!" and "Invent" by authors such as Douglas Florian, Prince Redcloud, and Joan Bransfield Graham (with the standout offering "Nurse: Healing Hand") give voice to career ambitions. Others, such as the aforementioned "A Mermaid's Tale" poem, and Lois Lowry's "Big Problems" (about the challenges of being a giant's wife) offer up more fanciful imaginings.A good collection, for real.

Kirkus Reviews

Well-known anthologist Hopkins here focuses on make-believe play, presenting 15 possibilities for children to explore being and doing fanciful or everyday things, with contributions from Lois Lowry, Prince Redcloud, and Douglas Florian. Thematically divided into three sections, the poems feature peppy, reader-directed introductions, followed by first-person poems accompanied by illustrations of diverse children play-acting. “Wish! Be a Storybook Character” showcases fantasy figures such as pirates (“I cry argh to the ocean, / wail yarr to the sky”); “Support! Be a Person Who Helps” includes a firefighter, nurse, and pilot. “Invent! Be a Person Who’s a Maker” spotlights a chef, dancer, and video-game creator, among others. Colorful, cartoon illustrations depict the children, their activities, and the classroom objects inspiring them with subtle, sketchy background elements, like a girl wearing a hard hat and building with blocks and boxes against cityscape background, which extend the themes presented. Throughout, the collection conveys that there are many options for each child, irrespective of gender, and the encouraging, upbeat approach will likely pique interests and imaginations.

Booklist
Born in Taipei, Taiwan and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Chris Hsu is an incessantly inquisitive man. After receiving a marketing degree from the University of Florida he attended the Savannah College of Art & Design where he finally discovered the rewarding science of painting and illustration, both of which he continues to pursue with great zeal. In addition to illustrating for editorial, narrative, and agency work, Chris also specializes in animation background art and is currently a background artist on the animated series Archer. The Boo-Boos That Changed the World is Chris's first picture book. View titles by Chris Hsu
Wish! Be a Storybook Character. 

Close your eyes. Imagine what make-believe storybook character you might become (if you could). 

Would you be...
a wizard double-knotting moonbeams?
a queen wearing silken shoes and gown?
a mermaid exploring deep ocean caves?
a giant's wife stirring stew in vats and barrels?
a pirate swinging from ropes with telescopes?

Imagine! 

Big Problems
Lois Lowry

I took on a perplexing life
when I became a giant's wife. 

He has a monstrous appetite, 
says my cooking's a delight. 

But one encounters real perils
when stirring stew in vats and barrels!

And I am in a total quandary
each time I try to do the laundry. 

His sweaters could encase three cars; 
his undies are the size of Mars!

I have to climb upon a chair, 
stretch my arms to smooth his hair. 

It is a complicated struggle
to hug or kiss or simply snuggle. 

He's very dear; I'm not complaining. 
I only wish I'd had some training! 

There ought to be some branch of science
that gives advice to wives of giants!

About

Celebrated poet Lee Bennett Hopkins shares a diverse collection of poems that ask (with the help of Newbery medalist Lois Lowry, former US Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis, and others), "Who do you want to be?"

Kids can imagine pretending and dressing up in this playful poetry collection, flexing their creative muscles and bucking stereotypes. (Who says that girls can't be knights and boys can't be mermaids?) Fifteen poets write about who they might like to be, musing what life would be like as a wizard, a firefighter, a video-game inventor, and more.

"There is nothing better than being yourself. You are unique and special in every way. Once in a while it might be fun to think about becoming someone (or something!) else. Who would you like to be? Imagine that you're someone else!" --Lee Bennett Hopkins

Praise

"Imagine! Wish! Support! Invent!"Hopkins organizes this brief, thematic anthology into three sections under the larger umbrella of imagining: "Wish! Be a Storybook Character"; "Support! Be a Person Who Helps"; and "Invent! Be a Person Who's a Maker." Each of the collected poems is written in the first-person, and Hsu's energetic, cartoon-style digital illustrations depict the diverse children as the individual speakers. Words and pictures alike often upend stereotypes and gender norms. For example, a poem about pretending to be a mermaid by Janet Clare Fagal depicts a brown-skinned child with tight, close-cropped curls wearing a green, striped T-shirt as the voice of the poem, allowing children of varying gender identifications to see themselves. Hopkins' introductory statement affirms that "There is nothing better than being yourself," which doesn't undermine the title in the least since he goes on to affirm the fun in pretend play. Sometimes such play is aspirational, and the poems included in the categories "Support!" and "Invent" by authors such as Douglas Florian, Prince Redcloud, and Joan Bransfield Graham (with the standout offering "Nurse: Healing Hand") give voice to career ambitions. Others, such as the aforementioned "A Mermaid's Tale" poem, and Lois Lowry's "Big Problems" (about the challenges of being a giant's wife) offer up more fanciful imaginings.A good collection, for real.

Kirkus Reviews

Well-known anthologist Hopkins here focuses on make-believe play, presenting 15 possibilities for children to explore being and doing fanciful or everyday things, with contributions from Lois Lowry, Prince Redcloud, and Douglas Florian. Thematically divided into three sections, the poems feature peppy, reader-directed introductions, followed by first-person poems accompanied by illustrations of diverse children play-acting. “Wish! Be a Storybook Character” showcases fantasy figures such as pirates (“I cry argh to the ocean, / wail yarr to the sky”); “Support! Be a Person Who Helps” includes a firefighter, nurse, and pilot. “Invent! Be a Person Who’s a Maker” spotlights a chef, dancer, and video-game creator, among others. Colorful, cartoon illustrations depict the children, their activities, and the classroom objects inspiring them with subtle, sketchy background elements, like a girl wearing a hard hat and building with blocks and boxes against cityscape background, which extend the themes presented. Throughout, the collection conveys that there are many options for each child, irrespective of gender, and the encouraging, upbeat approach will likely pique interests and imaginations.

Booklist

Author

Born in Taipei, Taiwan and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Chris Hsu is an incessantly inquisitive man. After receiving a marketing degree from the University of Florida he attended the Savannah College of Art & Design where he finally discovered the rewarding science of painting and illustration, both of which he continues to pursue with great zeal. In addition to illustrating for editorial, narrative, and agency work, Chris also specializes in animation background art and is currently a background artist on the animated series Archer. The Boo-Boos That Changed the World is Chris's first picture book. View titles by Chris Hsu

Excerpt

Wish! Be a Storybook Character. 

Close your eyes. Imagine what make-believe storybook character you might become (if you could). 

Would you be...
a wizard double-knotting moonbeams?
a queen wearing silken shoes and gown?
a mermaid exploring deep ocean caves?
a giant's wife stirring stew in vats and barrels?
a pirate swinging from ropes with telescopes?

Imagine! 

Big Problems
Lois Lowry

I took on a perplexing life
when I became a giant's wife. 

He has a monstrous appetite, 
says my cooking's a delight. 

But one encounters real perils
when stirring stew in vats and barrels!

And I am in a total quandary
each time I try to do the laundry. 

His sweaters could encase three cars; 
his undies are the size of Mars!

I have to climb upon a chair, 
stretch my arms to smooth his hair. 

It is a complicated struggle
to hug or kiss or simply snuggle. 

He's very dear; I'm not complaining. 
I only wish I'd had some training! 

There ought to be some branch of science
that gives advice to wives of giants!