This delightful board book for children ages 4 through 7 shows one boy and one girl who decide to play a game in which they picture themselves as total opposites. They begin with "I'm a circle "(the girl) and "You're a square" (the boy) and continue "You're a tiger"(the girl) and "I'm a bear" (the boy). As the game goes on, they switch from animals to landscapes and to moods.

Children will revel in the differences between the boy and the girl, who are not competing with each other. There is no hint of favoring the boy over the girl or giving her the more creative imaginings. The game that is presented challenges kids to ask themselves questions as they look at the pictures: Would I rather be a cave or a tower, a tree or a flower, wild or tame? Such a values clarification exercises build character and make it clear how we all have choices about what is important to us.

Best of all, You and Me celebrates the differences that arise out of individuality — differences that must be cherished and honored. It is important that children learn from an early age that the world is filled with people who are very different from them. This does not lead to fear and hatred but to deep respect for the diversity of ideas and ideals.


A Note about Authorship: Although the book lists the author as Giovanni Manna, a copyright blurbs says: "The moral right of Stella Blackstone to be identified as the author and Giovanni Manna to be identified as the illustrator of this work has been asserted."