Free to Be...You and Me

by Marlo Thomas

This is the book we all know and love by Marlo Thomas and her friends -brought to new life with brand new illustrations to captivate and inspire a new generation of readers on a journey of the heart. Whether you are opening Free to Be . . . You and Me for the first time or the one hundredth time you will be engaged and transformed by this newly beautifully illustrated compilation of inspirational stories, songs, and poems. The sentiments of thirty-five years ago are as relevant today as when this book was published. Celebrating individuality and challenging stereotypes empowers both children and adults with the freedom to be who they want to be and to have compassion and empathy for others who may be different. Working closely with Marlo and co-creator Carole Hart, Peter H. Reynolds, the New York Times Best Selling Children's Book Author/Illustrator, conjured his whimsical drawings throughout the book bringing a new sense of unity and warmth to the pages. You will find yourself marveling at the illustrations, nodding in agreement with the stories and poems, and singing the words to all the classic songs! It is wonderful that the thoughts, ideas, and emotions the creators envisioned so many years ago can still have a magical effect on children today.

Genres: Childrens, Poetry, Picture Books, Feminism, Gender, Fiction, Classics

144 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1974

About the author

Margaret Julia "Marlo" Thomas is an American actress, producer, author, and social activist best known for starring on the sitcom That Girl (1966–1971) and her award-winning children's franchise Free to Be... You and Me.

Thomas serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which was founded by her father Danny Thomas in 1962.

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book we all know and love..that is an understatement!

This book was such an influence on my perceptions and how I viewed the world. If someone came to me and asked w hat one book would you want a child to read..this would have to be at the top of the list.

So glad to see it is not lost or forgot!

I cannot even begin..OK..I cannot do a review. All I can say is this was loved by myself, my family, everyone.

I still laugh about the two babies.

It was always around and I would read it over and over.

"FREE TO BE..YOU AND ME"!

[DivaDiane SM · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this record and looked at the book so many times when I was a kid, 40 years later I still know the songs inside out.

Everything in this books/record/film speaks to the importance of being yourself and what kind of power and authenticity comes from that. If you, like me, are cis white, it can give kids a perspective they might not otherwise have.

I credit this book with a lot of my welcoming and inclusive life view, which I tried exhibit from a young age.

The songs are wonderful, the stories too. If you can, watch the clips on YouTube. A few are really funny.

Thanks Marlo, Gloria and all who worked on this project.

[Andrea Fleury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as a young girl and I loved it now.

[Orla Hegarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

My feminist Mum made sure I read this in the 70s :) Good to see it's still here.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite simply, *the* classic 1970's children's book. Mention this book at a party with your contemporaries and separate the cool kids from the dreck. ;-)

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm as old as Free to Be... You and Me by Marlo Thomas (and friends). The book, record and TV special were some of the inescapable things in my childhood (no matter how hard I tried!) and now the book is back and it landed (uninvited) on my doorstep for review.

As Ms. Thomas explains in the beginning of the book she was inspired to create Free to Be... You and Me when her niece complained about all the books having princesses who need to be rescued. My response would have been: you're reading the wrong the books! What about Alice, Ozma, Dorothy, Anne, Trixie, Nancy, Madeline, Wendy and Mary to name just a few of the many literary heroines from my youth who didn't need princes or rescuing.

Free to Be... You and Me isn't though just trying to be a book to empower young women, it also tries to give boys permission to like things considered "girlie" (dolls and pink and showing emotions). As I pointed out in The Boy Who Wanted to be a Fish by Le Grand, pink for girls is a relatively new thing. A better way of conveying a message (whatever it is) is to show not tell. For boys who like pink, I recommend Pinkalicious and Purplicious for the younger brother in the book who is almost as nuts about pink as his big sister.

The big message of this book is basically this: don't be afraid to do your own thing. Unfortunately the book comes with the conceit that children don't have the will power to think for themselves or push boundaries. That's not been the case with most of the children I've met through my own two.

This reissue comes with sheet music and a CD. The original cartoons are on YouTube if you're inclined to watch them.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is a collection of poems and short stories, I have included it in my "poetry" selections. I loved listening to record and casette tape recordings of the original version of this book as a child. This is actually the 35th anniversary edition, which I rediscovered recently at the library. As I pour over this new version, I can hear all of the songs, stories and poems in my head read by the likes of Alan Alda, Marlo Thomas, Mel Brooks, Carol Channing, and other big names. This book is a celebration of the individuality of children, who they may be and who they could be. It is sometimes silly and sometimes serious, but often thought-provoking and clever. This book can be enjoyed either by just reading it or reading along with the accompanying CD. It can be enjoyed alone, with a friend, curled up with a family member. Many of the poems, stories, and songs can be used individually with a classroom unit or as part of a music program. I hope that others get as much pleasure as I did (and do) experiencing this wonderful book!

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Jaglvr for Kids @ TeensReadToo.com

I was a young child when FREE TO BE...YOU AND ME was first released. My elementary school even used songs from FREE TO BE...YOU AND ME for a spring concert. As I reviewed this book now, as an adult, I was still amazed that I could hum the tunes to the songs written as poems in the book.

FREE TO BE...YOU AND ME is one of those rare gems that have managed to stand the test of time. Updated with vibrant new illustrations, FREE TO BE...YOU AND ME takes controversial messages (imagine how controversial they would have been in the early 1970s!) and brushes off the impossibilities of what can be.

FREE TO BE...YOU AND ME emphasizes to children the endless possibilities that are available to them. The book encourages children of all ages to do what they want, and not be limited by what society expect of them.

Take the story of "Atalanta." The princess's father automatically expects her to marry the man he chooses for her. Atalanta wants nothing to do with that. She wants to be the creator of her own destiny. She compromises with her father that if she can run the race with the possible suitors, if she loses the race, she will do as he wishes. But ultimately, Atalanta holds her own fate in her hands by risking running the race against the suitors.

Or, there's "William's Doll." What father doesn't cringe at the thought of his son wanting to play with a doll? But this story shows that by allowing William to have the doll that he desires, he has gained the knowledge to be an awesome big brother.

These are just two of the wonderful parts of FREE TO BE...YOU AND ME. With poems, comics, songs, and amazing illustrations, parents will fall in love with the book again, and children will immediately make FREE TO BE...YOU AND ME one of those treasures to be read time and again.

And if you are a parent that doesn't remember this from your childhood, pick up a copy and read "Boy Meets Girl." There's no way you can forget the amusing tale of the babies that meet minutes after being born in the nursery!

[Becky Bass · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book explores several different cultures and gender roles. The book’s main idea is gender neutrality, and every gender role can face the same obstacle with a different result. Be free to be whoever and do whatever you want. The book was first written in the 1970’s and includes several poems. It teaches children to celebrate loving their own skin and the individuality that each of them have. It has several songs attached to the book that would be good when reading or using the book in a classroom setting. The author doesn’t explain the different experienced the children faced in attachment to their race, but he also includes the race of each set of children. This brings a neutrality to the table showing that regardless of who you are, there can be equality in every situation.

[Daniel Levesque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every kid should have this book. EVERY SINGLE ONE.

[John Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seminal for boys and girls. In the early Seventies, Thomas was teaching acceptance, tolerance, and self-confidence. There was also a powerful companion album and TV special.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd heard a lot about this book over the years and when I started watching "That Girl" a lot last summer, I became even more curious. That curiosity has finally been fulfilled.
It's a really sweet book with poems, cartoons and songs and if I had children of my own or was a child myself I might appreciate it more. As it is, I'm in my 50's and I have no childhood connection to this book. I don't remember ever having read it before.
So, that being said, I think children and those who have read it before or are parents should read it again because it has a lot of great messages from different authors and artists. It just wasn't as special to me as it probably is for a lot of people, but I can see why it's a classic. I did enjoy the introduction by Marlo Thomas at the front of the book.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Updated with fresh illustrations and more recent pictures, this book keeps many of the most famous songs and stories from the original _Free to Be... You and Me_ with a new introduction by Thomas and an end statement by Gloria Steinem. Thomas states that she wrote the book for her niece because she did not find dynamic or empowering books on her shelf. She states: "But what I was most shocked to see was that all of the books talked about what girls and boys should be, instead of what they could be. That's never a good thing. 'Should' is a small and bossy word. 'Could' is as big and beautiful as the sky." My favorite stories include Joyce Johnson's "The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe," Lucille Clifton's "Three Wishes," and Miles' "Atalanta." While this new version encourages the child reader to engage with the work, writing on the pages and marking the stories s/he likes, it omits some of the drawings and writing by children present in the 1974 edition.

[Vivian Valvano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved FREE TO BE ... YOU AND ME since its original publication in 1972. Heather has loved it since Grandma and I introduced her to it when she was a little girl. I bought the 35th anniversary edition last Christmas for my niece's daughter, and I just bought one for Heather (and me). I spent some wonderful time last night reading, remembering, and getting to know the changes made for the anniversary edition - new illustrations by gifted artists using contemporary artistic tools, more wise words from Marlo Thomas, an update by Gloria Steinem on "What Buying This Book Will Do" ... Kudos, forever, to Marlo Thomas and the Free to Be Foundation and the Ms. Foundation for Women and all the contributors, past and present. Absolute favorites: "Ladies First" (I can still hear Heather and Grandma laughing), "Atalanta," and "No One Else."

[Megan Mulder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several different groupings of children are heard within the pages of this book - the author is able to find a story within the pages that will fit either the child they are teaching or the child they once were. The stories do not focus on the color of the character's skin, although the authors do not hide it either; instead, stories are told in a very entertaining fashion from feelings and societal experiences to divorce and gender equality. All of the cooperating authors provide something for everyone within this book's pages, and even though I read this as a child, I got so much more out of it now as an adult.

Within the special 35th anniversary edition, the pictures practically jump off the page - I highly recommend purchasing for a classroom or even as a new parent gift!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ages 6 and up. The almost 50-year-old classic story collection that has been many kids' first introduction to questioning gender stereotypes. Two babies try to figure out their gender based on their personalities ("What do you want to be when you grow up? Are you scared of mice?") Princess Atalanta decides not to get married. William is encouraged by his grandmother to have the doll he's always wanted. A Tender Sweet Young Thing learns the hard way why she shouldn't insist on "ladies first." A poem teaches why EVERYONE at home should learn to pitch in with housework. There are no explicitly LGBT themes (the book is from the early 1970s, after all), but the stories don't preclude them either.

[Aerin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never read this book before today. I always passed it over because of the outdated illustrations (yes, it was first published a mere four years before I was born. Let's move on.) The contents are wonderful, but you'd expect that from contributors like Judy Blume and Shel Silverstein and Judith Viorst. What made me fall in love were the illustrations - oh, the illustrations! The artists of the new illustrations include Henry Cole (And Tango Makes Three), Peter H. Reynolds (Judy Moody series) and LeUyen Pham (Big Sister, Little Sister). They make this volume a book worth having, worth giving, and worth reading over and over.

[Dottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one came across my radar when my girls were small and became a favorite with them and also wtih me. Clever and thought provoking and grounded in good common sense approaches to growing good character. Of course the edition we had was the original one in the 1970's or 1980's? but this is the same cover. We also had the recording -- you know, those big 33 1/3 RPM vinyl things in a nice cardboard sleeve that looked just like the book cover here. I can still sing along in my head at times -- that's how often it was played.

[Katherine Coble · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to me by a friend of the family. It will always stand in my mind as one of the weirdest story collections I've ever read. Some of the stories were poignant, some disturbing, some comforting. A couple tried too hard to bang you over the head with their Differentness. But if a book is a time capsule, this is the best possible window into the late 60s and early 70s, into the hard work of busting gender stereotypes and using fiction to nurture a new generation with a stronger mindset of accepting differences in people.

[Maggie Mullis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free to Be You and Me is a collection of short stories that deal with accepting yourself and others.

It has a variety of different types of literature. For example, poems, short stories, and even songs. It is very interactive, and has a lot of interesting topics. One that caught my eye was of a boy and girl corresponding by e-mail discussing whether the girl would be allowed to play on the baseball team. I found it kind of horrifying that this book was written in the 70's yet is still extremely relevant.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost played this cassette out when I was a kid - and when I discovered the book in my school library, I was ecstatic. It was so much fun to see pictures to go with the songs in my head.

The new version brings back all sorts of great memories, and inspired me to buy the full CD (sadly, the one with the book is only a few tracks). I'm looking forward to sharing this with my daughter when she gets older.

[Kevin Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! It emphasizes cultural diversity, encouraging children to simply be themselves and not worry about different skin color or languages. It reaches out to all different learning types as it has collections of stories, songs, and poems to be chosen from. I feel that this could be used during a lesson on culture to show students that they shouldn't be ashamed of who they are. I haven't had a chance to use this book as of yet, but it's definitely on my "to do" list.

[Taylor Kundel-Gower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally, this book (and other associated materials) was way before my time, but it has survived and become a classic. I was very excited to read it and I am mostly impressed with it. It contains a lot of good anti-patriarchal messages (female empowerment, males having dolls and feelings) that are still very relevant and I LOVE the folksy songs. However, it is a little dated and sure seems to love the gender binary.

[Ricki Groskreutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eternally grateful for this book!
It was a necessity in the seventies and although I hoped there would no longer be a need for these lessons, it seems we all could still learn a thing or two from its simplistic and innocent wisdom. Almost every word has held up. It should be among the standard curriculum within our elementary schools. Regardless of Sex, Race, or Creed, we should treat one another as equals and with respect and kindness. Bless you, Marlo Thomas! ;)

[Kim Valentine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. It has songs, poems, and stories from many authors. You can watch video clips on Youtube that contains many of the stories and songs in this book at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCg9XL...

The goals of the book was to let children know they can be whatever they want to be and not conform to what culture may say a boy or girl has to be.

[Blue Hummingbird · Rating 4 out of 5]

A breath of fresh air. I will definitely be reading this book out loud to my son. A beautiful message of being who ou are and being loved and accepted no matter what your difference is. I can see why it has been such a withstanding collection. The songs are cute, the stories have meaning and the poems are just fun. The illustrations are wonderful. Bravo!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I loved how they read Atalanta aloud and they had matching voice when they broke the ribbon that marked the races end... I loved the song "You might be pretty" - still do. I remember taking the record to school I think in about 3rd grade and we got to listen to it at indoor recess during lunch.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in elementary school, back when it was a big deal to notice our differences. I've loved the book ever since and was thrilled to discover a copy languishing in a thrift store. I cherish it and have shared it with both my kids. The lessons might seem dated but they are still TIMELESS.

[Suzanne Earley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this in a very long time, but when I saw that there was an edition with some of the illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds, I had to check it out. Luckily, a friend had a copy that I could borrow.

I remembered a bunch of it (though most of it not in great detail). My favorite (and the one that I had remembered the most....) was "Ladies First" by Shel Silverstein.

[HeavyReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read this book until I was an adult. My parents were not hippies or all that progressive. But I sure dig this book now. Wow! People doing the things they want to do regardless of gender roles. So cool.