Thank You, Me
Thank You, Me is a picture book focused on gratitude and holistic self-love.
In Ellie Oop’s picture book Thank You, Me a child expresses loving gratitude for each part of her body.
A nameless child wakes up and greets the day. She looks at all of the parts of her body from her hands to eyes, ears to feet, and head to bones. She meets each part as she experiences it, ending with the collective whole and claiming her “Me” is just like her audience’s.
In each section, the girl mentions a part of the body, discusses how she uses it, and closes by thanking the part for what it does. Each section starts off with a made-up word expressing what makes her think of that body part: for skin, the word is “smoothees,” and for her middle, it’s “smidlings.” These self-coined words are a point of confusion, though.
Progressing in a logical, patterned fashion, the book works toward a neat and satisfying conclusion. The love that the girl expresses for herself also leads to her acknowledging the common parts that all humans share, encouraging empathy and compassion.
Still, there’s not much about the story that’s surprising. Further, other than the girl’s expressive descriptions, the main character stays unknown, though the actions that she discusses are realistic. Her claims about what each body part provides prove to be a fun addition: her mouth, for example, “licks jams and jellies, giggles and snickers.”
Within the colorful and consistent illustrations, the girl’s gratitude is conveyed through her smiling face and visible curiosity. In a few pictures, the scale of her feet doesn’t match the rest of her body; her teddy bear is rendered in an unrealistic manner. Missing punctuation, errors, and illogical sentence structures detract from the story.
Thank You, Me is a picture book focused on gratitude and holistic self-love.
Reviewed by
Rebecca Monterusso
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
