This book was wonderful! I thought it was so amazing how McKenzie does turn negatives into positives. This is helpful for children labelled as these things to view their strengths as well as for adults to remain open-minded and empathetic towards a child that might be a bit challenging. This book inspired me to be more empathetic and had me feeling more confident about my own "flaws".

I absolutely loved this book and will be purchasing it for my kids on release date too!

The illustrations are dynamic and colourful. I love the reframing of attributes that can often be used in a negative away and prompting people to look for the positives or understand why people might be that way.

As a woman who grew up with undiagnosed ADHD a lot of these words were used to describe me in a negative way and there was actually something quite healing in reading this book.

I am excited to purchase a physical copy to read regularly with my kids

These ABCs Belong to Me, written by Alicia McKenzie and illustrated by Sarah Demonteverde goes through the alphabet and talks about different descriptiove traits that can apply to children and individuals, I liked this book because it looked at some emotions that are seen in a negative way and how they can actually be positive, and also showed a diverse variety of characters in the book. I wasn’t sure how I felt at first about some of the “negative” descriptive words that were being used but I realize now that is kind of the point. Children are often told that they might be bossy, extra, or a know it all, (just to name a few!) and it is important for them to know that this isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes these traits or characteristics help us to be the people that we are!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the author, publisher, and narrator of this book for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The author, herself a mother of five children, really gets to the heart of what makes us diverse and why it's special to appreciate our uniqueness. I love the wide variety of human qualities that are celebrated including being clumsy, a picky eater, bossy, or quiet. Not good or bad, just ways we are or feel at times.

This is such an inclusive, colorfully illustrated book, that will be perfect for storytime or bedtime readings. I highly recommend this book for schools and libraries.

What a fun and unique way to teach the ABC's. When introducing letters and sounds to my child, I try to expand to vocabulary outside and this book is a great way to help do that. Not only is it helping to introduce letters, but feelings and emotions as well. I highly recommend adding this book to shelfs for young kiddos!

This book was very interesting- I like the idea of it- taking words that typically have negative connotations and putting a positive spin on them. Still some are interesting words for children to understand fully so beware your audience. Great book and illustrations and would recommend for children of the correct age

Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book. As a kid who was called bossy and a know-it-all (although often in jest) enough to make me shy and quiet as a teen, I think rebranding these terms in a positive light to help children feel more confident in their own assertiveness. Having an A-Z meant that so many often used negatively terms are able to be made better and show just how positive these words can actually be in the right context. Hopefully this can help the next generation from becoming more shy and withdrawn than those before them were by the negative use of such words.

Favourite Quote:
“While I have no control over the words that are spoken I'm shaping a new narrative and will not feel broken. I'll remember that our words can build us up and empower So, plant a seed of good vibes and watch them flower.”

This alphabet book has stunning illustrations and beautiful descriptions on each page. My students and my own children will enjoy reading this book over and over. Each letter represents a different aspect of personality- kids will be able to identify their own traits as well as others in this expressive text.

These ABCs Belong to Me is a wonderful addition to my "all about me" unit. This will foster all kinds of wonderful conversation about our differences and help explain some of our personality traits. I appreciate how the author pointed out the positive attributes of some words people hear about their behavior. Typically those words are said in a negative voice but this book shows the opposite.