I Am Book

November 27, 2023
Narrated in rigorous rhyme by a jaunty yellow tome, Cull’s self-referential work explores confidence and fitting in at a new school. At its previous elementary, the library book was “cooler than cool,” but things get off to a rough start at New School Elementary. There, Rugrats-reminiscent patrons, portrayed with various skin tones, mock the volume: “Pffft, I Am Book? That’s so cringe,” says one. “More like I Am Trash,” retorts another, who tears a page from the volume. Hoping to change its reception, the beleaguered protagonist attempts a makeover that embraces arrayed genres, but when nothing feels right, the subject realizes that “not everyone will like me, no matter what they see./ As long as I’m still being the best book I can be.” A jokey tone weaves throughout Cull’s scenes, which lean on potty humor and puns, but the levity doesn’t quite balance the cruelty that the protagonist endures en route to s(h)elf-actualization. Ages 5–8.

February 15, 2024
A story finds its audience. Book, the main character, was "cooler than cool" back when it was at Rufus Elementary, but for some reason it's been moved to New School Elementary, where it hasn't enjoyed nearly the same level of popularity. Pimply teenagers pull it off the shelf and rip out pages, other kids drop it on the floor or use it to conceal comic books, and, during a classroom read-aloud, one child yells, "The art is bad in this book!" This triggers an identity crisis, with Book trying to change itself into a horror story, a fantasy book, or a dictionary, like its other literary friends. But those helpful stories remind Book that "each person's perfect book is...different from each other," and at the end Book goes home with an excited reader. What could have been an important message about individuality and the right to read is muddied by a meandering plot, extremely busy illustrations, and inconsistent rhyme. Some books about books play with the creative limits of a metatext, but this one gets lost in its own goofiness, trying to stay on top of contemporary slang ("That's so cringe!") rather than delving into anything deeper. An exuberant attempt at exploring metafiction that fumbles. (Picture book. 5-8)

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