Book Review: Wonderful Me

Before talking about anatomy and the changes kids go through in puberty, it’s great to have a base of information on what self-care looks like and what it means to be healthy. Wonderful Me: A First Guide to Taking Care of Yourself by Nancy Shapiro, walks kids through all the ways they can care for themselves and others.

The book generally covers aspects of the body, relationships and feelings, covering things like getting enough sleep, taking care of your body, getting exercise and learning how to check in with your body; being a good friend, establishing boundaries, balancing time alone and with others, asking for and offering help and learning to say no; communicating your feelings and using creative ways to express them and relaxing through balloon breathing.

Each topic is covered on a single page or a two-page spread, so it’s a pretty basic overview of these and other issues, but it’s a good place to start for early elementary school kids who are starting to learn to do things for themselves and express their needs more fluently than they could earlier in life.

The book includes illustrations by Vânia Sacramento showing kids with a range of skin tones and physical differences (there’s a child in a wheelchair and one with a hearing aid) so kids should be able to see themselves in the book and recognize that these are things they should be thinking about and doing in their own lives.

It doesn’t touch on anatomy or gender differences and doesn’t get into anything potentially scary (there are some mentions of talking to adults when things don’t feel right or someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do) and would be a fine book for use in a classroom (with an emphasis on being a good friend and being respectful of yourself and others) or at home if these are things you want to make sure your kids know about and do.

About the book: 48 pages, hardcover, published 2024 by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, suggested retail price $16.99

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Encouraging Self Care for Kids

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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