I'm The Best

by Lucy Cousins

Dog loves his friends. He thinks they're brilliant. But he also thinks that he's the best, and he just won't stop telling them! So what happens when his friends decide to teach him a lesson, by showing him all the things they are best at?

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Storytime, Animals, Childrens, Dogs, Self Esteem

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Lucy Cousins, BA Honours in Graphic Design from The Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Brighton Polytechnic, postgraduate degree from Royal College of Art, is an author-illustrator of children's books. She is best known for her books featuring Maisy Mouse but she has also published other children's books including one about Noah's Ark. She is a mother of four and lives in Hampshire, England. Her own children are the inspiration for her books whose age range is 2-8.

Reviews

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book might be teaching a good "don't brag" lesson when the animals started teaching Dog that it wasn't nice to brag about being the best. But then in the end he reiterates that his ears are fluffiest and that is most important so he is the best.

??

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I quite liked this one. I'm considering it for a feelings-themed storytime because it's a light, fluffy read that touches on guilt and shame, which I think aren't included in a lot of feelings-themed picture books but are definitely emotions that can frustrate and confound kids.

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boastful dog turns off his friends by claiming he is the best at...everything! They feel sad until they affirm their abilities. I have to say, the page where dog is crying because everyone has smacked him down esteem-wise (as he has done to them) is slightly heartbreaking. All's well that ends with a hug, I guess? I found this book a bit...awkward. Not one I would pick for storytime (I don't enjoy shocked and saddened mommy faces glaring back at me from the storytime audience, no i do not) but if a parent approached me troubled by their child's boastful ways, this may be a good suggestion.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conceit (pun intended) of this picture book is successful, but the execution is a bit clunky. Lucy Cousins' illustrations in bright, vivid colors fly off the page, making for a fun romp through a simple but important message. Dog's comeuppances are well-deserved and amusing. The book's final page is thought-provoking... is Cousins indicating that a trait such as conceit is innate and unchangeable? Or that everything that had been taught before was forgotten in an instant? A mixed message that undermines the main point.

[Katherine Salinas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Lucy Cousins and I love this concept. We spend most of our lives telling our kids "You're great! You're perfect just the way you are! You're the best!" These things are great, until they run into other kids who have been told the same thing. I'm all for encouraging and praising your kids, especially when they have worked hard to receive the praise. But, I wish this book focused more on praising each other and seeing the best in each other and a little more humility too. There was a moment of that, but it ended on a selfish note which I wish hadn't.

[Eliza Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book missed the mark for me. I thought the story's message would be about appreciating our differences and being kind, a great lesson for children to learn through the character of Dog, except that by the end, the book ends where it began, with a boastful and obnoxious main character who treats his friends badly and doesn't learn anything. It's a shame, especially since I think the illustrations are adorable.

[pati · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over confident dog gets his comeuppance after bragging to all his friends. They all put him in his place and then shower him with love to pull him up from the dregs where they pushed him in the first place. On the bright side, the artwork is great!

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dog thinks he is the best. He can do things better than his friends. But turns out, his friends can do some things better than him. He is sad, then they show him he really is the best at some things. Dog is silly but cute.

[JadeShea · Rating 2 out of 5]

There wasn't a whole lot to this one, and I wasn't a huge fan of the art. Overall, it just wasn't for me.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

The dog is not a great friend, and he doesn't actually learn his lesson about not being so full of himself. He just decides that the thing he is actually good at (which isn't even a talent, it's just a trait he was born with), is the most important quality of all and so he is, in fact, still "better" than his friends.

[Lauren Drake · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't the biggest fan of this book in general - it started out with the dog saying he was the best at everything however then the tables were turned. To cheer dog up, he is told he is the best for having the fluffiest ears. I thought that this was nice as the charcters were seeing that they were all the best at different things. However, on the last page my opinion changed as dog then states that he is the overall best due to his ears. This showed that maybe the dog hadn't learnt a lesson at all about bragging.

The best thing, in my opinion, about this book are the illustrations and i think children would enjoy how bright and colourful they are.

[Freddie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge fab of Cousins' illustrations, and these are some of her best. The colours are so bright they practically pop off the page and the huge paint splashes are as evocative as they are fun.
The story is also super sweet. My only (slight) criticism would be that the dog is praised for his physical appearance above all else in the end. Just a personal opinion, as we are trying to move away from praise that purely aesthetic in our household.

[Anne Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children's book holds an important moral message: You may be better than some at some things, but they will be better than you at other things. Hopefully, the message children will get from this book is that they, too, have something that they are the best at, and that's what can define their self-worth, as well as seeing that others have things they are best at, and therefore can be appreciated for their strengths.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best part of this book is the illustrations. It started with great message - everyone is good at different things. But the ending was just awkward and brought us back to where we started - with Dog thinking he's the best because he has something better than everyone else. It just left me feeling flat - it could have been so good and just wasn't. Too bad because it had so much potential.

[Dest · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last page sort of undermines the message of this book ("Don't be a show-off"). But my three-year-old lately has this habit of shouting, "I WIN!" all the time and I think this book may help her understand why that's not cool.

[Connie T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the artwork and the appearance of the silly-looking Dog. I like how his friends, without bragging, set him straight on who is best at swimming, digging, flying, etc. What I don't like is how Dog doesn't learn anything and continues thinking he must be best at something to have any worth.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dog compared himself to his friends, and in doing so he believed himself to be the best. When his friends showed him how they each did certain things better, he apologized to them, and they told him something good he hadn't realized about himself. Bright and cheery illustrations.

[SarahEmily1990 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone is good at different things and that is OK!

[Kathryn Beek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable, irreverent story with wild, expressive illustrations.

[Kay Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reception.
Good for teaching young children about being kind. Short. Big, simple artwork.

[Kristen Dutkiewicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dog’s friends teach him that he’s NOT always the best.

[Stuart Gooch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story with a real moral to it.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friendship & comparison. Everyone has strengths- try not to compare to others’ strengths.

[Julia Jasztal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mommy's review from 11/20/11 -


I'm still not sure what exactly to think about this one. I was happy to see at least one other person shared my views on this because it seems most, or a lot, of people didn't seem to notice.
The story *seems* to have a great message about boasting, modesty, always thinking you're the best, that sort of thing. The whole story goes on in this vein... until the last page.
Let's that put that away for the moment. Dog, Ladybug, Mole, Goose and Donkey are all good friends and the story starts with Dog telling how he loves his friends, that they're great. But how he's the best.
Dog can run faster than Mole, he'd bigger than ladybug, so on and so on.
His friends rightfully start feeling sad that Dog is the best at everything they do until Mole speaks up. While Dog watches, not very happily, Mole shows how, actually, he can dig a hole better than Dog. Goose speaks up about being able to swim better than Dog. Donkey speaks up about being bigger than Dog.
Props to the author for this part because while these friends are speaking about what they're good at, they're not boastful like Dog was. They're simply stressing what they're good at and at the same time showing Dog, in a nice way, that he's wrong.
Dog realize the way he's been acting is wrong. So we think. He cries a few puddles, apologizes to his friends and is promptly forgiven. He's then told he's the best at being their best friend and that he has beautiful fluffy ears.
The last page? Tears the story completely down IMO. Here it is:

"Oh, phew! Obviously having beautiful fluffy ears is the most important thing. So I AM the best."

What is that? Like another reviewer wondered, is the author trying to condone his actions? After illustrating how wrong these same actions were through the entire story? I'm somewhat surprised to see this go unmentioned by so many people. It left a bad taste in my mouth and my six year old daughter noticed immediately. First she groaned, then she said, "Well, he learned nothing." That was from my six year old daughter before I had said even one word. I was struck a little dumb because I really wasn't expecting the last page to be what it was.
Obviously it's not a HUGE deal, especially for me because my daughter is very mature, very intelligent and was able to know, without this book, what is right and wrong. But other kids? Wouldn't this show them, even in some small, barely noticeable (at first) way, that this is the right, or an okay, way to be?
The only reason I'm giving it the two stars is because the book, excepting the last page, is decent.

[Chris Shue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seems very simple at the lesson it is teaching young readers. The text is simple in nature and not very complex to read. The illustrations are bold and bright, almost appearing like a child painted them. The lessons about arrogance, humility, humbleness, competition, and rudeness seem very quick and to the point. I found though, when I peeled back the onion with this book, many life lessons can be provided by adult readers to children. Who does like an arrogant winner, a gloating high performer, or a person lacking humility? Who wants that type of person on their team? Not many I would argue. Who hasn’t been humbled in discovering they weren’t the best at a particular sport, game, or occupation? I’ve eaten my share of humble pie over my lifetime. Most of the time it’s not about being the best at something, it’s about being the best teammate while doing something. In my opinion, teamwork and leadership is a topic that can be discussed for days, even with young children. Dog’s friends teach him a valuable life lesson about personal strengths and weaknesses which ultimately humble him. His friends forgave him and kept him on their team of friends. I think they were great friend mentors and accept each others flaws. Not discussing those valuable life lessons with children would be a huge missed learning opportunity. Each friend had a valuable quality to add to their friendship, much like each human being has something valuable to offer a team or organization. I think that many competitive adults could do themselves justice by reading this book. This story also causes me to reflect upon my own life when I’ve been humbled or tried to prop myself above others. Fortunately, I always had good mentors around to explain right teamwork practices and how to put others well being before mine. I also enjoyed how a reader can use different voice inflections for the characters in the book. The book is short and sweet, but has so many hidden lessons to share with children.

[Abdul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is about a dog named Dog. Dog wants to be the best at everything. Throughout the book he challenges his friends and beats them at different competitions. This makes Dog very boastful. However, his boastfulness is cut short when he realises that some of his other friends are actually better than him at many things. This humbles him, and he realises how mean he was to his friends. In the end, he apologises and they accept his apology.
I liked the book because it conveys a moral message. It basically teaches children why showing off is not a good trait. The book also has many colourful pictures which brings the story to life, and doesn't contain any difficult words.
The appropriate age range for this book is 3-5 years. This book would be good for independent reading and to have it on a class bookshelf.

[Sarah]

I'd just like to start out by saying that I am the Best! I must be faster then someone (maybe that rock) and I must be taller then someone else (maybe that two year old)--I must be the best! I love Cousin's enthusiastic dog, who is sure that he is the best at everything because he is better then one of his friends. Unfortunately his bragging makes his friends sad so they show him that they are better then he at those things, which makes him sad. Fortunately dog has the most important thing, and it isn't big fluffy ears (which are clearly the most important) he has self confidence. It may be misplaced, but he is excited about life and his friends.

I do love Lucy Cousins for preschool. I need more of her books.

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dog knows he's the best. He can run faster than Mole. He can dig better holes than Goose. He's bigger than Ladybug. And he can swim better than Donkey. But...

Mole can dig holes better than Dog. Goose can swim faster than Dog. Donkey's bigger than Dog. And Ladybug can fly higher than Dog. Nevertheless, Dog is the best at being their best friend and he has fluffy ears. Ergo, he's obviously the best.

What I thought: Ego much, Dog? I liked the book. It shows that everyone is special in their own way. The bold, bright illustrations and the simple story are perfect for the smallest children.

Story Time Theme: Friendship

[Ariel Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny story about a dog named Dog who knows that he's the best at everything. Until his friends give him a not-too-gentle lesson in comparing yourself to others. I found it funny and silly and quite true-to-life in terms of how kids often think.

The mixed-media illustrations are bright and colorful, and make the text feel playful.

I think it would be fun for a story time about playing games or friends! Nice, large text and reoccurring refrain ("I win. I'm the best.") would be fun to make your own.

[Emmaline MacBeath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brought tears to my eyes. The dog is over boastful and makes his friends feel bad every time dog says he is better than they are. Then the friends boast back and dog realizes how bad it feels to be put down. But the friends love him no matter what and that is what makes dog the best. I love the story's message as it is perfect for a young, learning, age group.
My only negative is that the illustrations are rather messy which makes it less pleasing to look at.
Would I recommend this book? YES. Especially for reading to younger children in group settings.