I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes (review)

Barnes, Derrick I Am Every Good Thing; illus. by Gordon C. James. Paulsen/ Penguin, 2020 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780525518778 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780525518785 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* 5-7 yrs

This first-person self-affirmation celebrates the multiple wonders of young Black boys, from "I am a nonstop ball of energy" to "I am a gentleman and a scholar" to "I am tight hugs, a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on." Barnes' playful, potent style draws on inviting metaphor to lift this well above the usual supportive picture book celebration, and the zippy turns of phrase ("I'm a cooooool breeze") prompt affectionate and personal reading aloud. James' fluid, painterly oils show a gallery of young boys brimming over with magnificence, whether they're swinging at a pitch, peering through a microscope, or beaming a dimpled smile out at the viewer; even the tender and quiet compositions have a dynamism that suggests a moment caught in an active life. The book's powering of listeners to move past outside voices that diminish ("I am not what they might call me. … I am what I say I am") will be particularly welcome, and this will speak to audiences too young for Black Is King.