"You and Me Both" - a bookwrap

Jamal and me have so much in common.  We love so many of the same things it's like we're twins.... like.... brothers from another mother.  Do you think we might be? 

Unwrapping 

"You and Me Both"

Authored by Mahtab Narsimhan
Illustrated by Lisa Cinar


Ages:  2+
Grade Level:  PS+
Hardcover:  24 pages
Publisher:  Owlkids
* Pub. Date:  April 15, 2020
* Language:  English 

Unwrapping Some Illustrations for You

Unwrapping the Story

Two little boys in pre-school become kindred spirits and discover they have so many similarities that they are like twins.  They love building tall block towers and knocking them down, strawberry jam on toast, splashing in rain puddles with matching boots and the disliking of carrots (which they happily feed to the classroom pet rabbit), just to name a few. 

They definitely are brothers from another mother.  Jamal decides he needs a haircut and his BFF gets his cut in the same identical style.  They giggle because now they know they can trick their teacher.  Yes!!!!!  She will never be able to tell them apart... how fun is that?  

 But the best thing of all?  The boys have very different skin colours and they don't even notice the difference.  This book is inspired by a true story that went viral on Facebook and touched the hearts of many.  People were taken by the innocence of the two best friends and the love they had for each other regardless of their race or skin colour.  "You and Me Both" teaches a wonderful life lesson for all of us to emulate.  Togetherness is not about our physical appearances but about our blended hearts. 

Unfortunely, the illustrations just didn't do it for me.  It is very hard to distinguish what the mission of the story is all about.  I was familiar with the original Facebook post which I adored and shared many times because it was so heartwarming and sweet, so for me the story fell short of that original message.  The story does highlight friendship, diversity and sharing life with others no matter what their colour.  

Storywraps Rating - 4 HUGS!!!!

Meet the Author

MAHTAB NARSIMHAN is an award-winning author with numerous critically acclaimed books nominated for several awards, including The Third Eye, which won the Silver Birch Fiction Award in 2009. She is inspired by life, love, and the desire to make sense of the world through stories. Mahtab is deeply committed to representing diversity in her books. You can find out more at www.mahtabnarsimhan.com.

About the Illustrator

Hi there! I am an illustrator, picture book enthusiast, tea-drinker, dog-petter and owner at the online shop extravaganza Draw Me A LIon. I also teach illustration for picture books at the Emily Carr University of Art & Design in Vancouver. http://drawmealion.com/

My favourite things when I was a kid were, drawing, listening to stories, and making up my own stories. And that's pretty much still the case... except now I also get paid for it. Which is pretty cool:)

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