I'm Not.

Who among us has not felt pale and insignificant in comparison to a friend who seems to shine and sparkle in everything she does and with all that she is?

I’m Not by Pamela Smallcomb stars a small, brown dinosaur whose green dinosaur friend Evelyn is a big star in so many ways. And in each of those ways, our unnamed but quite emotional narrator feels as if she is merely a spectator in Evelyn’s galaxy of accomplishments.

Starting out with an exuberant dialogue bubble “Lift-Off!” with Evelyn launching various items into the air from within a teetering trash can, our narrator says, “Sometimes I wonder if my friend Evelyn is from Mars.” In talented illustrator Robert Weinstock’s whimsical illustrations, complementing the text with a muted, slightly fuzzy palette, Brown Dino looks none too happy about this observation.

She goes on to observe how her friend is “ not one single bit ordinary,” a “little mysterious,” “up on the latest fashion trends,” and the topper: “If Evelyn was a book, you’d read her all night under the covers to see what happened next.”

Who can compete with all that?

Of course, Brown Dino will come to a more satisfying conclusion about her own talents . . . it just takes her a few more hilarious, truly childlike observations to turn that discerning eye around and take a big look in her own mirror.

A spot-on picture-book offering and self-esteem booster for preschool-age children!