I'll Be You and You Be Me

by Ruth Krauss, Maurice Sendak (Illustrator)

Poems deal with friendship, patience, dreams, brothers and sisters, love, growing up, holidays, and animals.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens, Fiction, Kids, Novella, Love

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

Ruth Ida Krauss was an American writer of children's books, including The Carrot Seed, and of theatrical poems for adult readers.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Another lovely book of Sendak illustrations with Krauss' wise philosophical musings from the viewpoint of the child.

a horse that's lost could be dreaming of the girl that's going to find him

An entertaining look at childhood games, friendships, hopes and dreams.

Read on openlibrary.

[Laura Bang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned about this book via Brain Pickings and was so charmed by the excerpts that I had to get my own copy. It's a lovely little book filled with disjointed vignettes about friendship and about just being a whimsical kid. Krauss's delightful words are perfectly complemented by Sendak's playful illustrations.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be you and you'll be me
There's lots and lots for us to see
--Oasis, "She's Electric"


I adore Krauss's nonsense verse and surrealism. She's one of the few children's authors who can actually speak to her audience in their own voices. The story about the lost toy elephant is touching.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes my heart melty.

[Aseel · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't miss the companions, Everything Under a Mushroom, A Very Special House, A Hole is to Dig... well, anything you can find by Krauss. Get the original editions, though - the newer illustrators' works just aren't a great fit.

Now, my assumption is that most of the text is actually collected from real little children, adapted by Krauss. I cannot imagine she came up with all these gems out of thin air. And there's a dedication to a lot of people... presumably the children.


if I want I can give it to a friend

some grass
and some ocean
and some dark for daytime
and some sun for nighttime
and a hug--
I put them down together
on a piece of paper
--I could hold it in my hand
--I could keep it in my pocket

you could roll it in a little ball
and poke it in a shell
---
Reread.
There are a few bits that make me wince. Read this with your child.
" ... love is they push you down in the grass and it doesn't even hurt..."

But mostly there are better bits, and Sendak's art brings them so alive.

"shoes shoes
little black shoes
little black shoes
with little black bows -
someday someday
little black shoes
with little black bows on the toes -"

"I'd come to your party even if you didn't have cake." (A much nicer way to say 'I like you' than pulling her pigtail.)

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t usually review kids books- we read so many- but this one was of note, because it was so random and weird. I think it was an attempt to appeal to how and what kids think about (a la Winnie the Pooh), but the result was an awkward collection of thoughts and drawings. I admit that a few were sweet or cute, but most of it was nonsensical and/or simply odd.
One example:
No More Woxes
a short Tall Tale
There was a wolf
and there was a fox and
they ate each other up.
And that made the wox.
Then the wox
ate himself up and
that’s why there are
no more woxes.

Umm...? 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Brigid ✩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

awww most adorable book ever! i loved i when i was a little kid :)

[Kim Reynolds-Jolles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a problem, I love books and art. So when I can get a book by one of my favorite author/artists, I don't always look at the content, but add it to the collection. This is one of those books. I love Maurice Sendak, and have a gigantic collection of his work. This is a collaboration with Ruth Krauss I never really looked at it until the other day when boxing up the kids picture books, I found it, and loved it. It is full of nursery rhymes and poems, plays, mysteries, and dreams, all in the voice of children, with hundreds of tiny drawings bringing life to them. I'm adding this for the April challenge.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

An assortment of thoughts and musings; some poems, with tiny b&w sketches by Sendak.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! Talk about nonsensical! The prose and poetry in this sweet book by Ruth Krauss makes little sense (no beginning, no end, just a middle! Very childlike!), and the pictures that accompany just about each WORD, by Maurice Sendak, are whimsical and sweet. We liked reading this book aloud very much! I loved this little tidbit: "a horse that's lost could be dreaming/of the girl that's going to find him", and I really liked this one: "love is when you send postcards/more than to other people--/love is they could push you down in the grass/and it doesn't even hurt--/love is the same as like/only you spell them different--/only more of the same, sort of--/Love has more stuff in it!/love is you give them/a leg off your gingerbread man./No, two legs./And the head!"

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Ruth Krauss book. It depicts all the meanness, whimsy, joy, confusion, friendship, and silliness of being a kid in poems, snippets of conversation and wonderful little drawings by Maurice Sendak. A review won't do it justice - everyone who loves kids' books must read this one!

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whimsical stream-of-conscious book. We loved its uniqueness and illustrations.

[Beenish Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! It's very sweet, but not vomit-inducing sweet, it's making-you-feel-happy sweet. I think I need to get a personal copy, quite some life wisdom in there.

[Noura · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations carried this through, they were magical in a way that only Sendak's art can be.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully, childishly absurd yet profound

[Juushika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd never considered the idea of picture book vignettes--but the micro-narratives suit Krauss's nonsensical, intuitive, declarative style. Sendak's art is sometimes a hot mess, busy and messy to the point of distraction, but it carries an even greater weight than usual for picture books, particularly in the sparsest (but most evocative) stories, like the exceptional "I Went There." Like most short story collections, as this effectively is, there's hits and misses. The sillier stories didn't work for me, which is no surprise. But I love the experiment in style, and the best bits are so much bigger than the page or two they occupy.

[Jackie Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover alone told me I'd treasure this book, and for years, that's all I did. It sat on my shelf, moved with us at least a few times, and finally, while trying to decide which book to give to my niece for her baby shower, it called to me. I'm not sure if she and her husband are fans of these icons, but I have a feeling they will be once the read this and make the connections to Harpld and the Purple Crayon 🖍 💜 Where the Wild Things Are, and countless others. I'll save Really Rosie, The Carrot Seed, and A Hole is to dig for when their daughter starts kindergarten ❤️

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really confused by this book, especially going into it with absolutely no idea of what it was about. Apparently, it is about nothing? Or friendship. It is very random and scattered with no continuity from page to page, or sometimes even on the same page.

But the pictures are adorable, with very child-like ideas. And some of the stories/poems/ideas? are very cute. So I am hovering at a 2.5 and will round up to three.

[Langdon Mullica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book going from the poetry to the very descriptive lines. It made me remember when I was younger and how much fun I had. Highly recommended if you are short on time and want to read.

[Concetta Kellough · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am assuming this is a children's book, but I can't imagine children liking it.

[Patsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was charmingly written, with captivating illustrations. But I couldn't get my four year old granddaughter to pay attention to it. I'll try again with a different child.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poetic koan with remarkable illustrations.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

“love is you give them
a leg off your gingerbread man.
No, two legs.
And the head!”

[McKenna R · Rating 2 out of 5]

This made no sense

[Alvaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maurice Sendak illustrations are a wonderful compliment to a great book.

[Sally Kong · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Krauss-Sendak book so far. Such tiny silly adorable charming and quite profound moments and illustrations! Ugh my heart might be gleaming

[Jessica Delaney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe children enjoy it more?

[Michael A. Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boss! Kind of like Shel Silverstein for a slightly younger audience :)

[Diana Ilhuicatzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

tutto quello che c'è stato e poi rimane