I Am a Masterpiece!

November 6, 2023
Opening lines establish Armstrong’s direct tone in this affirming autobiographical debut: “I have Down syndrome, and I like myself exactly as I am. I just want people to be nice to me and to like me for who I am, too.” Noting that “sometimes people forget their manners,” the speaker details a challenging episode at a shoe store, where “grown-ups act like I’m invisible.” At school, the protagonist and classmates, depicted with varying abilities and skin tones, draw self-portraits. When Mia’s, a portrait of “how I feel, not how I look” as well as “how I see the world,” proves different from the others, she proudly asserts, “I think that makes it the best of all,” modeling a confidence later supported by her family’s praise. Appearing frequently as multiple vignettes on a page, Thompson’s delicate pencil and gouache renderings amplify the emotion that infuses the text’s vision of external patience and self-love. An author’s note opens, and a q&a about Down syndrome concludes. Ages 4–8.

November 15, 2023
Child actor and activist Armstrong, who has Down syndrome, embraces her uniqueness. Mia likes herself just fine, but sometimes people "forget their manners" or act like she's invisible--a shoe store clerk, for instance, addresses Mom instead of Mia until the child politely asserts herself. At school, though, everybody knows her. As her class draws self-portraits for Back-to-School Night, Mia knows exactly how to express "how happy I feel being me." But her classmates criticize her work, and Mia feels invisible again. Then, remembering Mom's reminders to be patient, Mia explains it's a "double self-portrait," a work that illustrates both how she feels and how she sees the world. Fortunately, "kids are faster than grown-ups at these kinds of things," and her classmates understand. With candor and wry humor, Mia reminds kids and adults alike not to patronize people with Down syndrome. In a gently pointed scene, she wonders if others would be equally rude to very old, tall, or scaly people, and she imagines droll comebacks to nosy questions and blunt remarks. Asked if they're "some kind of alien," a reptilian, green-skinned plane passenger deadpans, "Is that a problem?" Mia's enthusiasm and self-confidence radiate from Thompson's energetic cartoon illustrations. The backmatter includes cartoon-style panels of Mia fielding frequently asked questions about Down syndrome. Mia and her family present white; background characters are diverse. A celebration of self-advocacy, self-expression, and self-acceptance. (Picture book. 4-8)

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February 2, 2024

PreS-Gr 4-Mia Armstrong boldly asserts her self-confidence with a compelling opening line: "I have Down syndrome, and I like myself exactly as I am." In first-person narrative, she reflects on being patient when other people forget their manners. She emphasizes the beauty in uniqueness and says it "would be boring if we were all the same!" Armstrong illustrates this by recounting a school project where she and her classmates are tasked with creating self-portraits. While her classmates draw pictures of their physical appearances, Armstrong expresses how she feels and how she sees the world with shades of blue. Despite initial confusion from her classmates, Armstrong explains why she drew it that way and they understand right away because "kids are faster than grown-ups about these kinds of things. Which is lucky for me." A concluding Q&A about Down syndrome culminates in a whimsical cartoon-style conversation among children. The vibrant gouache and colored pencil illustrations not only breathe life into the scenes, which come off as lived experience, but also showcase a diverse array of background characters. A touching and unique story about accepting oneself and others. VERDICT A great first purchase for libraries.-Kirsten Caldwell

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