Completely Me

by Dr. Justine Green, Ana Luísa Silva (Illustrator)

Completely Me is a story about a little girl who never noticed there was something different about herself until others pointed it out. When she decides to stand up for herself, she teaches the townspeople an important lesson about acceptance. “This heartfelt story addresses the special challenges and social interactions of children with disabilities with empathy and charm.”
—Stuart J. Murphy, Visual Learning Strategist, Author of the award-winning MathStart and I See I Learn series “ Completely Me is a celebration of life. It is a clarion call to all children (and their adults) to be all they can be. Completely Me inspires young readers to recognize that while each of us is different, we are each perfect in our own way. Completely Me is an important book with a special message that will resonate in youngsters, and stay with them for a lifetime.”
—Anita Meinbach, Ed.D., Former Clinical Associate Professor, University of Miami School of Teaching and Learning “Beneath the context in this magical little book, Completely Me has an underlying honesty and truth that Justine Green touches with her beautiful words. Adults and children alike will be enriched by her message. Read and enjoy.”
—Ellen Brazer, Author of Clouds Across the Sun, And So It Was Written, and The Wondering My Journey into Judaism

Genres: Picture Books, Disability, Childrens

28 pages, Paperback

Published July 8, 2020

Reviews

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

As readers follow Justine and her experience with the many people relentlessly offering their hand due to her missing an ear, we realize how incomplete this truly made her feel. We find ourselves trying to help those we deem "different" or "impaired," while our intentions are in the right place and we mean well, our actions can be offensive, condensing, and intrusive. The reality was Justine never needed or asked for help. She never knew a piece of her was missing until others pointed it out and made a scene about it. Unfortunately, this intrusion from others started to make her scared. She began to question herself until she realized that a missing ear did not limit her, nor did it make her any less complete than anyone else. She spoke out to the others about how she felt inside, which was no different from everyone else. Her decision to stand tall and speak out reminds us of the importance of making fewer assumptions about others and using our ears to listen instead. This book deserves a high rating because the central messages challenge people's ignorant mindsets about people with disabilities and how it makes the individual feel. The challenge on the actions we often suppose is considerate and thoughtful, paired with illustrations that show a precious child suddenly embarrassed, scared, and confused about these actions, sets the heavy tone that we are wrong about how we perceive and handle people with disabilities. Though this book was well-executed, one weakness worth mentioning is the ending feeling a bit rushed. I would have liked to see the people respond to Justine after she took a stand and expressed herself. Perhaps they should have apologized or shared their thoughts on how it makes them feel to recognize their actions. The addition of their response could have served as an excellent tool to help readers adopt a reflective nature.

[Elizabeth Jurado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely Me is a sweet book that teaches little ones about physical diversity. Justine didn't know she was missing anything until people around her told her so. Even though they had good intentions, Justine found it scary and a little mean. Young Justine found a way to show she was happily complete.

[Payton Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because it shows how proud she was to be herself, even if she was missing an ear. Once everyone knew she was different, they though they needed to help her, but she could do things on her own.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet and simple message in rhyme about how unimportant physical differences are in a person. Strong, colorful, and diverse illustrations strengthen the story.