Ellie Oop’s Thank You, Me teaches young readers how various parts of the body function.
The story begins with a young girl waking up to a beautiful day. As she uses her hands to pull off the covers, she marvels at how they help her perform everyday activities, such as dressing and scratching her itches. When she blinks her eyes, she’s amazed to see colors, rainbows, friends’ faces, and more. Her discoveries continue as the day progresses, moving to other body parts, including her mouth, arms, nose, and others.
Each page follows a similar format: The girl chooses a new body part, announcing it with a nickname (for example, she calls hands “SQUEEZERS,” eyes “SQUINTS,” and ears “TOOTLES”). Then she examines what each part does, and ends with gratitude. When discussing her eyes, for example, she says: “SQUINTS! I blink my two eyes/ And what do they see. [sic]/ Friends and new faces/ My favorite fur babies/ Peekaboo playmates…Thank you, My Eyes, for all you see.” Inviting illustrations show the girl engaged in different activities.
While this is a promising concept, the text suffers from some technical issues. For example, with each verse, a question is treated as a statement: “And what do they see. Friends and new faces”; “And what does it do. Sniffs cookies baking.” The periods are incorrect and break the flow of the sentences. Meanwhile, construction is often awkward. For example, the narrator notes that her two legs “Make me a lap place…” Her two feet, “Skip and jump over,” without saying over what. Her round middle “Buttons my belly” —a cute phrase but technically incorrect, as the belly button buttons the belly, not the other way around.
Children will likely overlook such flaws, but simple changes would make this a more polished offering—one that promotes a positive body image as it fosters an appreciation for each part of the body and how it works.
Also available as an ebook.
