I’m a girl!

Yasmeen Ismail
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
ISBN: 9781408857007
RRP: $15.99


Never judge a book by its cover – or its title at least. Here it is a protest rather than a statement of fact. The energetic and feisty protagonist loves to get into the action. She is messy, impulsive, noisy and fast – on the running track and the skateboard. She is also being mistaken for a boy all the time. Her loud protests turn a few stereotypes on their heads and of course she is destined to meet a boy – not to meet her match, but to become best friends. The brief but boisterous text is assertively emphatic. Splashy wet watercolour illustrations are spontaneous and lively. The story is nothing about gender but being able to be yourself and enjoying it. All children realise this in this tale.