Draft:I Am Enough Grace Byers

I Am Enough Grace Byers

Cover of the book
Author	Grace Byers
Illustrator	Keturah A. Bobo
Language	English
Genre	Children’s Picture Book
Publisher	HarperCollins US
Publication date	June 29, 2018
ISBN	978-0-063-05407-3

The book I am Enough by Grace Byers is a children’s picture book published through HarperCollins US in June of 2018. Throughout the story, we see the main character, a young African American girl, meet new people and try new things. Each page is a new setting where the little girl learns that she is enough and can do anything. It talks about the different characteristics that make a person unique and accepting the unique features of others. It also teaches readers to accept themselves for who they are and to not feel as if they need to change to be enough. This story focuses on self-acceptance and knowing one’s worth.

While this book may seem harmless, it’s a banned book in some schools. Reasoning for this is that the topics it focuses on - such as race, immigration, bullying, etc. - were too hard to discuss in the classroom. However, I am Enough has won literary awards and appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers list. This doesn’t have much of an impact, though, as it’s the content itself that gets books banned.

Plot

The book I Am Enough by Grace Byers is about how anyone can have positive attributes and characteristics. It narrates the story in a first-person perspective, making it seem that the reader has all these characteristics. Throughout the book, we see illustrations showing us the different qualities of the reader. This book focuses more on drawings and comparisons rather than filling words and events. One example of this is comparing how the protagonist pushes like the wind. The protagonist is not limited to being compared to nature, she’s also described as similar to a heart because she is here to love. The plot of this book is to show that the reader is enough that there are many different things and that every aspect of themselves should be valued and celebrated, no matter what. It also talks about how differences and being unique are something that should also be valued and that it’s good that we’re all different. This book moves away from speaking of just the protagonist to talking about everyone. The vocabulary used changes from “I” statements to “we” statements, which helps drive the plot that everyone is enough, no matter their features. This is also highlighted through the pictures. In the scenes where the words point out the differences, the images do the same. One particular scene is when there are three girls, two holding a jump rope for the third to use. The girl jumping is African American and has long hair. One of the girls holding the rope is also African American, but she has much shorter hair. The second girl holding the rope is in a wheelchair and has lighter skin. This picture helps to show that these three girls are all different in their physical appearances, but that doesn’t stop them from having fun and accepting one another.

Theme

Acceptance of Others

In I am Enough by Grace Byers, one of the themes this book conveys is acceptance of others and the celebration of diversity. On each page, we see illustrations of children representing different backgrounds, physical features, and characteristics. The theme of this book is that differences are meant to be celebrated, not used as divisions between people. In Waikato Journal of Education, author Patricia Ai Lay Ong writes “Children’s literature is potentially a starting point to present critical multicultural concepts to young learners" highlighting this theme's importance. In her book, Byers also "emphasizes that regardless of one’s looks, abilities, or beliefs, every child is unique, able, and worthy of respect".

Grace Byers wanted to create a book with this theme because she was a child who was viewed as different from other children. She’s a biracial and multicultural women, and growing up she was a Child Of Deaf Adults. She was bullied for being different which led her to write her book. This books intention was to "empower young girls against bullying and promote an understanding of diversity and the importance of showing kindness to others". She wanted something that teaches children to accept others and to celebrate diversity, but to also be confident in their bodies and have high self-esteem. The intended audience was primarily young girls, but anyone could benefit from the message of this book.

It’s hard to teach these lessons to kids when they can't understand them yet, but when it’s being read to them and they can see pictures, it makes it easier for them to understand. Not only do the stories make it easier for children to understand, but they also make them feel more comfortable when discussing these topics.

In I Am Enough, the book talks about difficult topics, like culture and disabilities, without actually using words. This approach makes children feel more comfortable, reduces stressors, helps them deal with emotions, and makes them feel safer.

Instead of having an elementary classroom filled with picture books showing primarily white children and families, it’s necessary to have books with other cultures, including but not limited to, African American, Middle Eastern, Asian, Hispanic, and many more. Exposing children to these topics at a young age is the best way to create a more accepting society. Having these types of characters in literature “can help learners confront issues such as racism, poverty, gender equity, and religious beliefs and facilitate understanding of more complex social issues and concepts related to cultural diversity”.

Self-Acceptance

In I am Enough by Grace Byers, not only do readers learn to accept and celebrate others’ differences, but also their own. This book centers around self-acceptance, which is important to have for both according to Graciela Adelia’s article where she writes that the benefits are “having confidence where an individual can cope better with failures since he is not afraid to try again or to try something different in order to succeed. [And] The second benefit is happiness” . Byers focuses on the main character experiencing things that make her feel confident in herself, often using similes to compare the child and things of beauty and strength. It is important to inculcate self-confidence in children using concrete images because, “Storybooks (or digital tales) are easier to understand for all children compared to abstract notions or theories, and might become special instruments for mapping the reality and conveying health contents”.

In an interview with Byers, when asked why she wanted to write this book, she said it “all goes back to identity” and how companies “make so much money off telling us what we need. This is what you lack, this is what you need, this is how we can fill this void for you… “ leading to thoughts of “if I just had this product … then I would feel blank enough”. Byers wanted to stop these ideas from being taught to young children, instead writing a book filled with thoughts of self-esteem and empowerment. She also stated that her hopes for this book were to create an environment where children, specifically young girls, feel strong and beautiful and to eliminate bullying others who are viewed as different.

There are different causes of low self-esteem, two of them include Man vs. Self and Man vs. Man. In Man vs. Self, the issue is against yourself, not outside factors. This is an example where a person thinks that they are not good enough, the low self-esteem stemming from their mind and thoughts. The other is Man vs. Man, where the conflict lies with another person. An example of this is when a person is bringing down another person’s self-esteem by making hurtful and rude remarks. Instead of a story where a girl is told she’s pretty by others, it’s focused on her discovering her beauty, both physical and emotional, which is crucial for young readers to learn. Self-acceptance doesn’t come from the compliments you hear from others, but the ones you hear from yourself. This book teaches kids how to give others compliments, but also how to be kind and accepting of themself.