I'm Special, Too

by Darlene M. McCurty, Napoleon Wilkerson (Illustrator)

Overview

After he fails his spelling test, Nehemiah overcomes the obstacles of low self-esteem and dyslexia with the the help of an observant and concerned teacher.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780913543276
Publisher:	African American Images
Publication date:	04/01/1992
Edition description:	1st ed
Pages:	55
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.21(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Darlene M. McCurty is the author of Walking on Eggshells. Napoleon Wilkerson is the illustrator of The Great Encounter: A Special Meeting Before Columbus.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-5-- Nehemiah is an African-American fourth-grader who is picked on because of his race, his dyslexia, and his short height. He doesn't know his father and lives in a housing project with his emotionally distant mother. Nehemiah writes a wistful essay about how he'd have a happier life as a bird and wins a statewide contest. After this, his mother gets a job, his peers like him, and he realizes that he is special. While there is a great need for quality fiction that features African-Americans, this story is a disappointment. The writing is clumsy, the plot is flat, the characters are cardboard, and the potpourri of problems is resolved instantly. The themes of transcending hardship and self-esteem are extremely important, but the book reads more like a lecture than a story, and is accompanied by stiff black-and-white drawings. --Jacqueline Rose, Southeast Regional Library, NC

School Library Journal