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!
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!
