Review of Brave Little Me

[Josephe-Anne]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Brave Little Me" by Michael Arrington.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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In today’s world, young people are bombarded by so many influences – both positive and negative – on social media. So, it’s important to foster a child’s mental development. Brave Little Me by Michael Arrington addresses the issue of self-esteem. This adorable picture book tells the story of a fuzzy, orange creature named Me, who is reminiscent of the McDonald’s mascot, Grimace, and Little Critter from Mercer Mayer’s famous book series. Me is concerned about other’s opinions of them. (It is not specified whether Me is male or female.) So, Me embarks on a journey to discover who they are and what talents they have. Following the advice of a wise owl, Me tries different activities to find out what they enjoy doing and what they excel at.

The cover features a cartoon drawing of the orange creature waving as it stands outside at night. The brown owl is perched on top of the letter “e” in the word “Little.” The bold, white title font contrasts nicely with the deep indigo background and Me’s orange fur. The book is filled with many more illustrations on every single page. The themes of this story include self-esteem, bravery, learning, and mental health. Because this is a children’s book, the text does not contain any lewd or violent material. There is no religious content either.

I really like the cute illustrations of Me, the other furry creatures, and the bespectacled owl. I especially like the fact that Me is often drawn wearing a teal hoodie; this gives the character more personality and adds a unique appearance. I also appreciate the overall message that the story conveys. It teaches youngsters to be proud of themselves and embrace all of their special skills. It reinforces the idea that we do not need to worry what others think of us in order to live a fulfilling life. Additionally, I found no errors. So, the editing was exceptional.

However, the wording was ambiguous. As I mentioned before, the story does not say whether Me is supposed to be a boy or a girl. The author kept referring to Me as “they” instead of “he” or “she.” This made the text awkward to read. I also believe that children will be able to relate to Me more easily if the author had stated the creature’s biological sex.

So, after much consideration, I have decided to give Brave Little Me by Michael Arrington a rating of four out of five stars. I deducted a star due to the ambiguity of Me’s biology. I felt that this was an important detail to omit. Apart from that, this is an encouraging children’s book for the little one in your life who could use an extra boost of confidence. I believe it would be best suited for children between the ages of three and eight years old.

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Brave Little Me
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[Cynthia Pence]

Brave Little Me sounds like a delightful children's book that addresses important themes of self-esteem and personal identity. I appreciate how the story encourages young readers to embrace their uniqueness and discover their talents through the character’s journey. The illustrations, especially the portrayal of Me in a teal hoodie, seem to add a charming touch to the narrative and help bring the characters to life.

[Nneka Bridget]

The themes of self-esteem and mental health in Brave Little Me sound incredibly relevant for today’s young readers. It’s intriguing how the character embarks on a journey of self-discovery while learning to embrace individuality. The illustrations and the message about not worrying about others' opinions seem like great tools for encouraging confidence in children. The choice to keep the main character's gender ambiguous could foster inclusivity, although it might also lead to some confusion. Overall, this seems like a wonderful read for fostering resilience in kids.