Illustrations and easy-to-read text pay homage to the strength, character, and worth of a child. - (Baker & Taylor)

Proud of everything that makes him who he is, a young Black narrator celebrates the creativity, adventurous spirit, humor and loyalty that shape his undeterred spirit and confident goals, even when people who do not understand try to limit his potential. By the award-winning creators of Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut. Simultaneous eBook. Illustrations. - (Baker & Taylor)

An upbeat, empowering, important picture book from the team that created the award-winning Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut. A perfect gift for any special occasion!

I am
a nonstop ball of energy.
Powerful and full of light.
I am a go-getter. A difference maker. A leader.

The confident Black narrator of this book is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He's got big plans, and no doubt he'll see them through--as he's creative, adventurous, smart, funny, and a good friend. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he's afraid, because he's so often misunderstood and called what he is not. So slow down and really look and listen, when somebody tells you--and shows you--who they are. There are superheroes in our midst! - (Penguin Putnam)

Derrick Barnes is the author of the empowering New York Times bestsellers The King of Kindergarten, I Am Every Good Thing, which won the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award and the Kirkus Prize, and Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, which received a Newbery Honor, a Coretta Scott King Honor, the Kirkus Prize, and the Ezra Jack Keats Award. He also wrote the bestselling chapter book series Ruby and the Booker Boys. Derrick is a native of Kansas City, MO and a graduate of Jackson State University and was the first African American male creative copywriter hired by greeting card giant, Hallmark Cards. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife and their four sons.

Gordon C. James illustrated the critically acclaimed picture book Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut (by Derrick Barnes), which received a Caldecott Honor, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, an Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor, the 2018 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers, and a Society of Illustrators Gold Medal. He also illustrated Let 'Er Buck!: George Fletcher, the People's Champion (by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson). He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife and two children. - (Penguin Putnam)

Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* From the award-winning author-illustrator duo of Barnes and James (Crown, 2017), this is a powerful celebration of Black boyhood, countering many of the negative messages that a racist society puts forth about African American boys. Here they are adventurous, polite, inquisitive, playful, creative, artistic, athletic, brave, and worthy. They are also loving, vulnerable, and reliable. The text has a cadence that demands to be read out loud, performed, sung, or shouted with joy and veracity. James' illustrations provide vibrant visualizations of the words, rich in color and movement. Boys' brown faces radiate light, love, and the joyfulness of childhood so that readers can't help but smile along as they read, "I am good to the core, like the center of a cinnamon roll. Yeah, that good." Despite this being intended for young readers, it would do no harm if it found its way into teenage hands as well, especially those already wounded by some of the predominant views of Black masculinity. Can be paired with I Am Loved (2018), by Nikki Giovanni. The need for a book like this, at a moment like this, could not be greater. Preschool-Grade 3. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

Barnes and James reunite, after the multi-award-winning success of Crown (rev. 11/17), for this beautiful and necessary book that affirms Black boys and their right to thrive. James's vibrant oil-paint illustrations harmoniously depict Black boys in motion, in contemplation, and in full vitality as they skateboard, swim, or stand contemplatively in the outdoors. Barnes's refrain throughout the book of I am (I am a roaring flame of creativity. / I am a lightning round of questions, and / a star-filled sky of solutions) is a powerful, present-tense reminder that normalizes the robust lives Black boys deserve to live, in stark contrast to the dedication page, which lists a number of murdered Black men and boys, many of whom were denied their own boyhoods. I Am Every Good Thing lets Black boys know they are loved and valued just as they are, with unlimited possibilities. Movingly, one boy affirms for himself and for the reader, I am not what they might call me, / and I will not answer to any name that is not my own. Fortunately, Barnes and James provide us with a range of powerful, positive names to call Black boys as they urge us to see them, to love them, and to let them live their lives as they deserve. Copyright 2021 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

Barnes and James reunite, after the multi-award-winning success of Crown (rev. 11/17), for this beautiful and necessary book that affirms Black boys and their right to thrive. James's vibrant oil-paint illustrations harmoniously depict Black boys in motion, in contemplation, and in full vitality as they skateboard, swim, or stand contemplatively in the outdoors. Barnes's refrain throughout the book of "I am" ("I am a roaring flame of creativity. / I am a lightning round of questions, and / a star-filled sky of solutions") is a powerful, present-tense reminder that normalizes the robust lives Black boys deserve to live, in stark contrast to the dedication page, which lists a number of murdered Black men and boys, many of whom were denied their own boyhoods. I Am Every Good Thing lets Black boys know they are loved and valued just as they are, with unlimited possibilities. Movingly, one boy affirms for himself and for the reader, "I am not what they might call me, / and I will not answer to any name that is not my own." Fortunately, Barnes and James provide us with a range of powerful, positive names to call Black boys as they urge us to see them, to love them, and to let them live their lives as they deserve. Kim Parker September/October 2020 p.55 Copyright 2020 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

A much-needed book for Black children when society demonstrates otherwise. The Kirkus Prize–, Coretta Scott King Honor–, Newbery Honor–, and Caldecott Honor–winning team behind Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut (2017) return for another celebration of Black excellence. In a text brimming with imagination and Black-boy joy, Barnes lays the foundation for young Black readers to go forth into the world filled with confidence and self-assurance: "I am brave. I am hope. / I am my ancestors' wildest dream. / I am worthy of success, / of respect, of safety, of kindness, of happiness." Simultaneously, he opens a window for non-Black readers to see Black boys' humanity. They have dreams, feel pain, are polite and respectful—the list of qualities goes on. Barnes also decides to address what is waiting for them as they experience the world. "I am not what they might call me." With this forceful statement, he provides a tool for building Black resilience, reassuring young Black readers that they are not those names. James supplies his customarily painterly art, his brushy oils painting Black boys of every shade of brown playing, celebrating, achieving, aspiring, and loving. Through every stroke readers will see that Black boys are "worthy / to be loved." (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 35% of actual size.) The title says it all: Black boys are "every good thing." (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus 2020 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

With a refrain that reads "I am," the creators of the award–winning Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut craft an empowering ode to Black boy joy. In metaphor-driven verse, Barnes moves from the interpersonally specific ("I am that smile forming on your face") to the iconic ("I am a grand slam,/ bases fully loaded"), and from the naturalistic ("I am waves crashing gently on the shore") to the historical ("I am my ancestors' wildest dream"). Employing rich textures and jewel tones in his fine art style, James paints Black boys of varying skin tones and ages engaging in work and play, solo and in community: flying through the air in a cape, getting back up after a skateboard tumble, working with a microscope, and assisting a grandmother crossing the street. A line of uncertainty interrupts the litany, offering a somber moment: "Although I am something like a superhero,/ every now and then,/ I am afraid." But the text quickly moves on, speaking to Black boys' deservingness "of success,/ of respect, of safety, of kindness, of happiness." Together, James's energetic portraiture and Barnes's affirming text powerfully and ecstatically convey the idea that all Black boys are "worthy/ to be loved." Ages 3–7. (Sept.)

SLJ Express Reviews

PreS-Gr 3—"I am a nonstop ball of energy. Powerful and full of light. I am a go-getter. A difference maker. A leader." Page after page of empowering text speaks to energetic children everywhere, as the author-illustrator team behind Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut return with another top-notch celebration of Black boys. The catchy text exudes confidence as different speakers energetically proclaim their competence at science and sports, as well as their creativity and perseverance. Background characters are of various races, but the stars of every page are Black, and they explore, soar, soak up information, and make a difference. The pace slows as the speaker admits he sometimes is afraid of what others call him but refuses to let those attitudes define him. The vibrant illustrations reinforce the energy as groups and individuals share their gifts with the world, including a cameo by Barack Obama. Remembering their ancestors and their fathers, and acknowledging their own strengths, a line of boys gaze at the reader before the book's final declaration, "I am worthy to be loved." VERDICT Pulsing rhythms and bright images combine for a worthy and timely choice for every collection.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Mankato