Like – Picture Book Review

Summary:

“Are you like a tin can?
Not really.

How about a swimming pool?
Like a swimming pool, you are filled with water and chemicals and dirt, so you are a little bit like a swimming pool.

How about mushrooms, excavators, hyenas . . . 

Hey, wait a minute! You know what you’re most like?
Me!

This funny yet thought-provoking picture book from bestselling author Annie Barrows and Pura Belpré Honor award recipient Leo Espinosa offers a sequence of outlandishly fun compare-and-contrasts that show how humans are much more alike than different.”

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Review:

This is a book that you can immediately judge by the cover and I mean that in the best way! The bright colors completely draw you in! And the story is introduced by a young boy that describes how we are alike and different from objects of all kinds.

What I love is that Annie Barrows takes very unexpected objects and really makes you think about what makes us similar and different. Things like tin cans, mushrooms, and excavators all make appearances throughout the book. Barrows celebrates how humans are different but still shows how much more alike we are than people seem to remember. We may like different things, do things in different ways, but in the end we’re more alike than we are different. And as Barrows states, “I’d rather be like you than like a mushroom.”

Leo Espinosa’s artwork is so eye-catching! He uses bold swatches of colors for backgrounds – yellow, blue, and pink. And his characters are absolutely adorable! I loved looking at all the different characters on the full page spread. He makes the storybook world extremely accessible to kids and makes the story that much more fun to read.

Personal Reaction:

I glanced at this book last fall as I was helping out our tech services team in the library. And once I saw it on the shelf, I scooped it right up for a closer look. As I read the story, I immediately began thinking about ways in which this could be used for programming. Especially the summer reading theme from CSLP – All Together Now! With a focus on kindness, friendship, and unity this is the perfect book to use! It’s a jumping off point for a program for elementary school kids. In fact, Chronicle Books actually has an adorable set of Venn diagrams on their website you can use as a printable. So most of your program is all ready to go!

You can also pull in the STEM-focus of this story as you talk about objects versus living things and so much more. I think most people will be surprised by how aware and insightful kids can be when you give them a little time to be thoughtful and creative!

Important Bits:

Title: Like
Author: Annie Barrows
Illustrator: Leo Espinosa
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: September 20, 2022

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