It's Me Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

Everyone is different and it's the uniqueness of each individual that makes the world diverse and interesting. But sometimes one might get hurt simply because he or she is different from the majority in one way or another. The wound can be even harder to heal for tweens and teens. In his book It's Me, Jeff Kubiak tells real stories of students, teachers and educators whose lives have been impacted by prejudice. Learn more about this book and enter to win a signed copy.

About the Book: Book Title: It's Me by Jeff Kubiak
Category: Middle-Grade Non-Fiction (Ages 8-12), 57 pages
Genre: Children's/Middle Grade, Non-fiction, own voices
Publisher: EduMatch Publishing
Release date: November 14, 2020
Tour dates: Jan 25 to Feb 12, 2021
Content Rating: PG. Although the book reads like a graphic novel, it does contain topics dealing with racism and other social issues.

It's Me is dedicated to every person who has ever felt less about who they are or want to be because of someone else’s opinion, feelings, or prejudice. Let's ditch the prejudiced labeling, and embrace our Human Race for the diversity, inclusivity, equity, and individuality we all deserve.

My Review:

It's Me is a touching and thought-provoking book consisting of 20 short poems, each featuring an individual that gets misunderstood, laughed at, or even discriminated against due to their physical appearance, language barrier, country of origin, or health issues. In each vignette, the person describes why he or she is considered different by their peers, how they feel about being treated unfairly, and more importantly, what specialties or strengths they possess that deserve to be recognized and appreciated.

With a careful collection of real stories covering a wide variety of inequity problem areas, the book encourages tweens and teens to embrace their individuality, to be aware of their self-worth, and to boost their self-esteem. Meanwhile, it warns about the psychological harm that prejudice and discrimination can do to a youngster. The illustrations help drive the message home by showing the struggle that each storyteller undergoes through their facial expression and body language. Some of the stories reveal parenting pitfalls that any well-meaning parent should avoid. The book also includes a glossary explaining all the medical terms that appear in the stories and a list of helpful resources promoting early detection of health problems that may affect a child's behavior and academic performance.

The book is an educational read about equity, diversity, inclusivity, and individuality that I'd recommend to everyone. It takes all of us, not just those who are suffering from prejudical labeling, to make a difference.

Buy the Book: Amazon | B&N | Bookshop
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About the Author:

Jeff loves children's literature , “One Drop of Kindness” is Jeff's first published children's book. It's Me reads like a fun graphic novel, but it is entirely non fiction. Every character in the book is a real student, or educator. It is so important for us to give access, equity, inclusion, and compassion to all those we meet. "Seeing" each other and embracing our differences are jewels to life! Jeff taught for ten years as an elementary school teacher in grades 4, 5, and 6 and has seven years of administrative experience. He's always looked at education from a different lens: from someone who hated and struggled with school. Jeff vows to always do his best to help increase opportunities for all students to feel heard, noticed, celebrated, challenged and safe. Jeff works hard to push back against the old model of “Industrialized Education” and fight compliance. There is not a day that goes by that he is not looking ahead to improve teacher pedagogy, student engagement and digital access for all. Being a former world class swimmer and coach and looks at education from perspectives that others don’t. Jeff knows what it takes to fail, struggle, win and go through the daily challenges that we all face. Jeff is based in California and can be found at jeffkubiak.com, Twitter at @jeffreykubiak and https://jeffkubiak.blogspot.com/.

Connect with author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

One lucky reader will win an autographed copy of It's Me!

Giveaway ends 2/18. Open to US only. Please enter to win below and Good luck!

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Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book to facilitate my honest review. All views and opinions expressed are my own. Giveaway is hosted by iRead Book Tours. icefairy's Treasure Chest is not responsible for winner selection or prize fulfillment.