You and Me, Anemone: A Story About Friendship and Personal Space

In this standout social-emotional book, Vail’s assonant, songlike rhymes skillfully use a sea anemone to talk about personal space in a way that’s at once empowering and playful. First-person narration takes a kind but firm tone as a yellow-tentacled subject models a mellow assertiveness. Opening with a “humble plea” that others not “boop” it, the “lemony anemone” acknowledges that while many like to be close, “Not all of us find that/ a pleasure, however.” Luckily, the good-natured narrator—visually transformed from underwater creature to human child—supplies a simple, emulatable script for moments of space invasion: “NO BOOPING ME!/ I AM// AN ANEMONE!” Raschka’s multi- media fabric artwork creates largely underwater scenes for a tactile effect. The clever art is an ideal partner to highly readable, percussive text that emphasizes the harmony that can arise from respecting others’ spaces and needs. Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 4–8. (May)