You Are Wonderful

Posted by Oct 4, 2017 Authors, Book Based Activities, Books, Family Fun, Raising Readers, Toddlerhood

 

As a mother, it is so important to me that I raise my daughter to be proud of who she is. I want her to have confidence to do the things she loves and surround herself with people who see the wonderful person that she is. I make it a mission to tell her how loved she is, and how much I appreciate the things that make her special. Luckily Nancy Tillman’s amazing books give me that opportunity whenever we read them together. I am a huge fan of her beautiful work, so I was thrilled when I was offered the opportunity to check out her newest one about helping kids discover themselves!

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All Kinds of Wonderful

You’re All Kinds of Wonderful is the latest addition to Nancy Tillman’s collection of books which tell kids that they are loved. The beautiful rhyming text tells the reader that we are born with our own unique bells and whistles. These represent our unique talents and passions in life. The vivid illustrations show children of various ages, races and backgrounds as they pursue their passions in art, music, science and sports. They are accompanied by different types of animals who are helping them or inspiring them. As usual, the illustrations are gorgeous and will certainly be loved by both kids and adults. The representation of so many different kinds of kids made me incredibly happy.

The book is not only about helping kids discover themselves, but it also touches on some difficult but important truths about growing up. It isn’t always easy to just be yourself! It takes time for us to learn what it is that we are meant to do. Most of us have many different passions throughout our lives. This book tells kids that it is okay. They will find their way eventually. The message brought tears to my eyes (as her books usually do!). Not only does it encourage kids to learn who they are, but it reminds them how proud we, as parents, will be of each of their talents and choices in life.

 

An Important Message

To me, the message “You are Wonderful” is an important one for kids to hear and believe. In the current state of the world, I believe it is even more important for kids to recognize that our differences are what makes us wonderful. We need people who love science and want to cure diseases as much as we need people who love to learn and want to teach the next generation. Those that have a passion for creating beautiful artwork or music are just as important as those who want to spend their days studying and caring for animals.

Each of us is unique, and I hope that my daughter and other children can see that their unique talents and passions are needed in the world. If the next generation can see each person as an equally important member of the world, then maybe they will do better than we have.

Learning Who You Are

An important message in the book is that we may try lots of different things in life, and some of them won’t fit. Have a conversation with your kids about the things you were passionate about as a kid. Did you want to be an astronaut or a singer? Did you play baseball, but didn’t end up being very good at it? Sharing your path to finding your passions can help your kids on their own journey.

My parents bought new Christmas ornaments for my sister and I every year, and they usually had to do with our current hobbies or dreams.  My sister has tons of dolphin ornaments from the years that she wanted to be a marine biologist. I have several tennis ornaments as well as teaching ones. It’s so fun for us to look back on the things that we cared about. While some of our hobbies didn’t suit us, they are still a precious part of our memories.

Helping Kids Discover Themselves

This book is a great way to open a conversation with your kids about their strengths, their dreams and their passions. I created this printable based on the book as a guide to help kids discover more about themselves. Print a copy for each child (and one for yourself) and brainstorm together to fill in the spaces. What are you good at? What do you love? Helping each other discover the answers is a great way to bond and let kids know how wonderful you think they are.

This is another fantastic book from Nancy Tillman. Kids may need reminding that they are wonderful, and that they will find their unique bells and whistles at the right time. The melodious rhyming text and vivid illustrations in this book make this a fun way to provide kids with that important message. I highly recommend adding it to your family’s collection and rereading it often! 

 


46 comments on “You Are Wonderful”

  1. My daughter is only 5 months but i’ll be picking this book up soon. I like reading to her and letting her know of her greatness from now

    • Nancy Tillman’s books are fantastic for reading to really little ones. The pleasant rhymes and vivid illustrations make them great to read aloud!

  3. I love this and the message behind it! My little girl is only 7 months but I tell her daily how loved she is. I will have to buy this book for when she’s older.

    • Nancy Tillman’s books are great for reading aloud to really little ones! The beautiful messages are written in flowing rhymes which make for great read alouds!

  5. Aw I love these books! We have you are here for a reason. I love the activities you have here. What a helpful resource. I’ll have to come back to it for homeschool. Random an unrelated question but could you recommend any fun books about Davy Crockett? My son is obsessed and he’s listened to Little House on the prairie four times now, so we need to move on! 😉

    • Thank you! I don’t actually have any Davy Crockett books yet! I will have to change that since my daughter likes singing along to the Disney song about him. I do know the Who Was series has a Davy Crockett book. They are great resources for kids!

    • I sometimes feel like I tell my daughter too often as well! I definitely recommend these books. They are some of my favorites to read to my daughter!

    • Thank you! I don’t yet, but since we are starting the discussion around here I will be putting one together!

  12. The author seems to have put in a lot of effort in coming up with such a thoughtful book. Loved your detailed analysis of this beautiful concept of a book.

  15. This sounds like a beautiful book! It is so important for our kids to know that are all individually wonderful in their own way…I need to check this book out for my kids ❤️

    • I definitely recommend her books! They are great for reading to very little ones as well because the rhyming is so melodic and the illustrations are so eye catching!

  18. Books have the ability to make children believe, and attempt, they can achieve anything. They great thing is when you pair those books with encouraging parents- they can!

    • She is one of my favorites! I just love reading her books to my daughter and this one is one of my new favorites for sure!

  23. What a beautiful book, I definitely need to get this and send it to my neices. I also loved that your parents got you ornaments every year based off what you were interested in durintthat time of your life. Such a sweet gesture that means a lor omce you grow up and look back.

    • I hope they love it! It is a really fantastic book. And I loved getting new ornaments every year as a kid, but I appreciate them even more now that I am an adult!

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