What I Am

June 15, 2021
When this book's unnamed, female, Indian American protagonist is asked, "What are you?" she responds with humor and grace. She is, in fact, so many different things. For example, she is a daughter, a granddaughter, and a mother (to her stuffed animals). To some people, she is light skinned, while to others, she is dark. In her own eyes, she is a bundle of contradictions. Sometimes she is mean, and other times she is kind. Sometimes she likes being with friends, and other times she likes being alone. All in all, the protagonist decides, she is someone who she--and her family and friends--loves. According to the author's note, Srinivasan wrote the story in response to a real-life incident in which her sister was asked, "What are you?" at a young age. The book is a gorgeously human answer to this dehumanizing question. The spare, efficient text, a series of declarations, and the inked illustrations are a beautiful tribute to multiple identities and a celebration of the contradictory personality traits that make us all who we are. There is humor in some details: When afraid, the child cowers as a thunderstorm rages outside; when brave, she fearlessly (and bloodlessly) rescues a cowering relation from a bug. When she announces her vegetarianism, she's seen with two friends who are chomping on pepperoni and sausage pizza while she enjoys a slice topped with veggies. A picture book celebrating the nuances of living with multiple identities. (Picture book. 2-5)

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Starred review from July 1, 2021

PreS-Gr 2-The young narrator opens the story by describing her various attributes: a human, a girl, a daughter, a granddaughter. She then begins to explore a series of intangible, seemingly opposite qualities: selfish and generous, mean and kind, a scaredy-cat and brave. The gorgeous, colorful illustrations clearly convey these complexities and contradictions that define and exist simultaneously within a person: the protagonist likes to dance and sing in front of family, but does not like to dance or sing in front of a crowd. She does not want to go to parties, but then does not want to leave the party. The story's stunning conclusion will inspire readers to proudly be who they are and provide plenty of discussion opportunities for readers. This book is an outstanding and affirming story. Back matter includes an author's note describing the incident that inspired the book. VERDICT Srinivasan's latest offering is a universal story that belongs in all collections.-Olivia Gorecke, Cape May Cty. Lib., Ocean View, NJ

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Starred review from August 2, 2021
Based on a scenario that Srinivasan’s sister once faced, the author-illustrator offers an empowering, accessible response to the often racially motivated question, “What are you?” After affirming that “I am a girl. I am a human,” an unnamed Indian American protagonist speculates on her relationships with others: “I am a daughter. I am a granddaughter.// I am an Amma to my guys.” She is a vegetarian, and the darkness of her skin color depends on who she’s comparing it with (“I am dark. I am pale”). Next comes a series of opposing qualities: “I am mean,” one page asserts, as she sticks her tongue out at Amma’s cooking; “I am kind,” reassures the opposite page, which shows the child holding up a picture reading “I love you” to her mother. Art rendered in pencils, watercolor, and digitally features appealingly childlike art that expounds upon the text. This volume succeeds in restoring the dignity and nuance to identity that an all-too-common microaggression often condenses. Back matter features a stirring author’s note. Ages 3–7.

August 1, 2021
Preschool-Grade 1 For children growing up in a world that demands all manner of labeling, the questions around identity are unceasing, often promoting more confusion than clarity. The fact is, there is no clarity when it comes to identity, as humans are complex and contradictory. It is this fact that Srinivasan addresses head on. The author frames the book around a callous question someone once asked her sister, who is represented by the main character. When asked, "What are you?" the narrator takes the time to think of a response that captures all the ways she is human. The text and illustrations are without pretense, addressing the question through biology, race, preference, mood, personality, virtues, and flaws: "I am selfish. I am generous. I am a scaredy-cat. I am brave. I am American. I am Indian," and so on. A charming primer for emerging readers that, when scaffolded by adult guidance, can also start conversations around identity with older readers.

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July 1, 2021
After a child with brown skin is asked a mystifying question -- "What are you?" -- the spare text and childlike illustrations cleverly posit the many (often opposing) whats she is. "I am dark. I am pale" appears over three small (differently melanized) hands reaching into a huddle-circle; the opposite page shows one set of bare tan-lined feet: "In summer I am many colors." The girl is also, for example, a "scaredy-cat" (mid-thunderstorm) then "brave" (catching bugs), and "not mischievous / (most of the time)." A note from the Indian American author explains the dehumanizing nature of the question and expands on the themes of dialectical self-images and identities.

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