By Myself!

by Sumana Seeboruth, Maribel Castells (Illustrator)

Joining the Feelings & Firsts a toddler humorously asserts her independence while getting ready in the morning, only to be met with one frustration after another. When she finds an opportunity to help her big sister get dressed, she accepts that they can help each other. Adults and young children alike will delight in this young child's relatable drive for autonomy. Also available in bilingual Spanish.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Emotion, Fiction

26 pages, Board Book

Published August 15, 2023

Reviews

[Katelyn Aronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of a great first board book series for any baby/toddler. Relatable themes, rhyming text, diverse characters, and adorable art. This one touches on getting dressed, autonomy, sibling relationships, and mutual help.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little sister and big sister are getting dressed for the day. Little sister, with an adorable front ponytail, announces that she will dress, “by myself.” Big sister, with glasses and a hearing aid, offers to help, but the little one insists that she can do it. However, she abandons dressing after one arm and one leg cannot be gotten into her clothes, and she starts to brush her hair instead. But then her brush gets stuck! She is lying on the floor with one arm in, one arm out the neck of her shirt, one leg in and one leg out of her pants, and with her brush embedded in her hair. It’s such a funny sight! It’s only when she notices her big sister having trouble with her back zipper that she perks up. She can help! “By herself!” Only then does she let her big sister help her: “I help you, you help me.”

Simple, brief text clues us in to the the little sister’s determination, while the charming illustrations show the agonies and joys of dressing oneself. In the English version, some lines are assonant, and in the English/Spanish version, the text keeps with the rhythm but doesn’t rhyme. The illustrations really tell the whole story, however, and parents and kids will both giggle at the little sister’s efforts.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As many parents can attest, there comes a time when toddlers are determined to do everything for themselves. Part of the Feelings & Firsts series, this board book features humorous illustrations and a little one who isn't quite as ready to get dressed by herself as she thinks she is. As it turns out, putting on pants and figuring out the arm and neck holes in shirts isn't easy, and she ends up tangled in a heap on the floor. Hair brushing also has its own unique challenges, but after helping her big sister with a pesky zipper, she's finally willing to accept a helping hand and acknowledge that sometimes getting dressed is a team effort. The artwork adds quite a lot of humor to this relatable experience.

[Lindsay Bonilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book’s playful and adorable illustrations paired with the sparse text capture with hilarity and heart what happens when a young child is learning to do things “by myself.” This is a great book to show toddlers that even though it’s good to learn to do things on their own, everyone needs help sometimes, and if you’re struggling, it’s okay to ask for help! The relationship between the younger sister and older sister comes through beautifully in the art, and I love that the older sister has a hearing implant device as this isn’t something I’ve seen in many children’s books.

[Andrés · Rating 3 out of 5]

The familiar words in the title of this book beg a reader to open its pages. We find two sisters getting ready for the day with the main character little sister wanting to do everything herself. She gets stuck and eventually learns its ok to receive and give help to others. I wish the illustration matched between on the "I help you, you help me" spread. Big sister is helping little sister in both. I love to see representation of glasses and a hearing aid on older sister.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightful board book by the team of Sumana Seeboruth and Maribel Castells. This time, both parents and little ones will enjoy the antics of learning to get dressed by oneself. As always, Maribel Castells' illustrations are fun and vibrant!

[Benson Shum · Rating 5 out of 5]

By Myself by Sumana Seebortuh and Maribel Castells is funny book about independence. The characters illustrate how kids want to do things themselves and sometimes they may need a little help. And that is okay! Especially when you have a big sister to play with.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story about a toddler who wants to get ready all by herself. Dressing is a little trickier than expected and brushing hair can be painful. But she’s determined to do it all by herself until her big sister needs her help and she realizes that by helping each other, getting ready goes faster.

[Erin Dealey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun --and very relatable--toddler tale about siblings wanting to get dressed by themselves. LOVE the sweet, lively art. #boardbook

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Glad this wasn’t the first one in the series that I read. Good use of sight words, but the narrative is too abrupt to follow easily in this one, I think.

[Colorado Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am going to use this for a storytime when our theme is about getting dressed very soon.

[Marzieh Abbas · Rating 5 out of 5]

So relatable. I wish I had this book when my kids were younger. Readers will appreciate the humor and relatable vignettes as this toddler tries to dress up 'by myself'!

[Goatllama · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun, and funny! Recommended review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Lynsaroo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little protagonist in this story is not impressed by the green 🥦 veggies their mama brought home for dinner. They’d much rather have that bread 🥖 and butter his mum is baking. They are interested in what mama is doing with those veggies though, and jump in to help with the 🔪chopping, stirring, and blending. It’s time to 🍴eat! It looks too green, but maybe one tiny sip will change their mind.

Both of these board books are so relatable for the toddler in my life. We’re working our way through a picky stage, and I’m awaiting the independent stage that is soon to come. She already has the “No!” down pat. I love the representation of two moms and a child with a cochlear implant. Be sure to check out the others in this Spanish/English series, ‘That’s Mine!’ and ‘Undies, Please!’ that cover sharing and potty training.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little sister and big sister are getting dressed for the day. Little sister, with an adorable front ponytail, announces that she will dress, “by myself.” Big sister, with glasses and a hearing aid, offers to help, but the little one insists that she can do it. However, she abandons dressing after one arm and one leg cannot be gotten into her clothes, and she starts to brush her hair instead. But then her brush gets stuck! She is lying on the floor with one arm in, one arm out the neck of her shirt, one leg in and one leg out of her pants, and with her brush embedded in her hair. It’s such a funny sight! It’s only when she notices her big sister having trouble with her back zipper that she perks up. She can help! “By herself!” Only then does she let her big sister help her: “I help you, you help me.”

Simple, brief text clues us in to the the little sister’s determination, while the charming illustrations show the agonies and joys of dressing oneself. In the English version, some lines are assonant, and in the English/Spanish version, the text keeps with the rhythm but doesn’t rhyme. The illustrations really tell the whole story, however, and parents and kids will both giggle at the little sister’s efforts.