Someone Like Me

by Patricia MacLachlan, Chris Sheban (Illustrator)

Overview

If you were a little girl who listened to stories over and over and over;
and who read books every night,
every day,
even as her mother led her across the street,
You might be me,
a writer.

Follow a little girl in acclaimed writer Patricia MacLachlan's semi-autobiographical picture book, Someone Like Me. Filled with gorgeous and thoughtful illustrations by Chris Sheban, learn what it might take to grow up to become a writer.

A Neal Porter Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250175953
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	07/03/2017
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	65 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Patricia MacLachlan (1938-2022) was the award-winning author of many novels for children, including the Newbery Medal and Scott O’Dell Award-winning Sarah, Plain and Tall, which was adapted into a Hallmark television movie starring Glenn Close and Christopher Walken. She co-wrote the teleplay for the film as well as for two sequels, Skylark and Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter’s End, based on her novels.

Honored with a Christopher Award and a National Humanities Medal among many others, MacLachlan was also the author of Baby, Waiting for the Magic, The Truth of Me, and the picture books Someone Like Me (illustrated by Chris Sheban), and The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse (illustrated by Hadley Hooper).

Chris Sheban has been awarded three gold and three silver medals from the Society of Illustrators. Some of the books he has illustrated are I Met a Dinosaur by Jan Wahl, Catching the Moon by Myla Goldberg, and What To Do With a Box by Jane Yolen. Someone Like Me is his first book with Roaring Brook Press.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/22/2017
Newbery Medalist MacLachlan’s incantatory picture book memoir draws readers in from its first words: “If you were a little girl/ who listened to stories/ over and over/ and over...” Using delicate shading and pale hues, Sheban (What to Do with a Box) draws a girl listening as an elderly woman talks, then shows the child seated at the feet of a man in a feed cap, his arms stretched wide, as if describing a prize catch. MacLachlan journeys through her past—a girl who read constantly, climbed trees, and tried “to teach her dog to talk by moving his lips like hers”—to see what made her the person she became, who “writes about talking dogs/ and chickens who scratch stories in the dirt.” Sheban’s scenes are bathed in golden light, and his faded palette and soft textures evoke a spare upbringing: simple clothing, old cars, a worn-out suitcase. MacLachlan suggests that it isn’t extensive travels or grand experiences that make a writer; all that’s needed is the willingness to watch and listen. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. Illustrator’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (July)

Publishers Weekly

*"MacLachlan journeys through her past—a girl who read constantly, climbed trees, and tried “to teach her dog to talk by moving his lips like hers”—to see what made her the person she became, who “writes about talking dogs/ and chickens who scratch stories in the dirt.” Sheban’s scenes are bathed in golden light, and his faded palette and soft textures evoke a spare upbringing: simple clothing, old cars, a worn-out suitcase."—Publsihers Weekly, starred review

*"Lovely scenes are balanced with amusing ones, giving this expressive picture book its irresistible, down-to-earth charm."—Booklist, starred review

"When does someone truly learn the gift of writing and storytelling? Newbery Medalist MacLachlan takes her trademark elegant writing to the picture-book level with this semiautobiographical charmer."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

05/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—This autobiographical picture book follows a gentle series of experiences that led the author to be who she is, "a writer." Speaking directly to readers, she begins with, "If you were a little girl who listened to stories over and over and over." MacLachlan continues in this vein, recounting things that helped make her a writer, including constantly reading, secretly listening to adults from under the dinner table, trying to make her dog and chicken speak, and having a great-grandmother who loved the prairie earth. Sheban matches the author's recollections with graphite, watercolor, and colored pencil illustrations. He deftly makes use of white space, a muted palette, and subtle humor. The picture of MacLachlan moving her dog's lips is guaranteed to make readers smile. VERDICT Just the right amount of text paired with spot-on illustrations makes this a great book for aspiring writers or a lovely read-aloud for anyone. Sure to be popular because of the author's recognition.—Catherine Callegari, Reston Regional Library, VA

School Library Journal

2017-05-10
When does someone truly learn the gift of writing and storytelling? Newbery Medalist MacLachlan takes her trademark elegant writing to the picture-book level with this semiautobiographical charmer.Spare and intimate, the narrative speaks directly to readers, inviting them to see glimpses of memories that catch the imagination. "If you were a little girl who listened to stories," the text begins as a white-haired grandmother walks with a mop-haired girl, both white. Under MacLachlan's smooth hand, a flood of images returns: the little girl hiding under the dinner table to hear the grown-ups telling secrets; a sweet hound dog "taught" to talk by little fingers pulling on his lips; a small bag of sweet prairie earth to remember from where she came. She is inspired by the people in her past, the simple nature around her home, and her own vivid dreams. Illustrations by Sheban, done in watercolor, colored pencil and graphite, use light and shadow to give each page a warm, earthy glow. The images are soft and dreamlike in their gentleness, as if veiled by a scrim with an invitation to come and look closer. "You might be someone like me, / A writer." An inspiring choice for fertile young minds trying to find their voices by seeing the world around them. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews