This is Me: CBeebies star George Webster’s first picture book that's full of joy and fun, with bestselling illustrator Tim Budgen!

Product Information

This was trying to be inspirational and a self help book, but all of the platitudes were cheesy and surface level, and nothing about the book made me feel like she was especially wise or someone to take advice from. Our differences make us special. We don’t all have to be the same. Imagine how boring the world would be if everyone had the same name. From the #1 New York Times bestselling creative team of Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell comes a timely picture book about immigration. Raising important identity issues like “Where did we come from?” and “Who are we?” This Is Me is as delightful as it is important, sure to stimulate dinner table conversation. I have binge watched every This Is Us episode there is. There is something special about that series, and there is something special about this book as well. Listening to Metz share her life story was informative and touching. Did you know she is from Gainesville, Florida? I had no idea she lived so close to me! I also didn’t know that she married (and later divorced) a man she met online, or that her stepfather verbally and physically abused her. It’s because of her life challenges, and difficulties that she is able to deliver a compelling book that is the story of how Chrissy Metz grew up and ultimately became Kate Pearson. Her tips on self-confidence and self-esteem are nice, like icing on a cake. She reminds us to be appreciative of who we are, find our gifts, and pursue our dreams. Only a strong, courageous and loving woman can be so positive given her past experiences. Chrissy Metz is amazing! Presentation: The ending image is a great touch when they show an empty suitcase and prompt the reader to think about what they would take if they had to leave. It was a great feature in wrapping up a story while promoting a deeper thinking about the book. It puts the reader into the book and has them think about what they would do.

A lot of these books written by influencers and YouTubers are notoriously written by ghostwriters but I have to give credit to Mrs Hinch because as far as I can tell, these are her words. It’s written in a very informal, conversational, chatty manner, exactly the way she speaks in her stories which is great. Tim Budgen is the outstanding illustrator of bestselling books such as Twenty Dinosaurs at Bedtime, Twenty Unicorns at Bedtime and The Magic Pet Shop series. Tim’s illustrations are bright, engaging and perfect for children! I haven’t read any of the other books Mrs Hinch has released, the one where you can write your hinching lists bothers me if I’m honest. Why i hear you ask? Writing and highlighting in a book is a no go for me. I love a list, don’t get me wrong, but you will only find me writing on my ‘to do pad’ I couldn’t bring myself do write in the actual beautiful book😂 (unless its a text book, that’s a whole different story!) Chrissy’s father disappeared one day leaving her mother on her own to raise three young children. Her mother eventually remarried, but her stepfather was never satisfied with anything Chrissy did. Eventually Chrissy headed to Los Angles where she worked as an agent for many years before getting her big break.Things became a bit easier when her mother married Chrissy's stepfather (she calls him 'Trigger'), but then he began systematically abusing Chrissy.

To allow us readers into her life on a much more personal level than just what she posts on her account, has undoubtedly taken incredible courage. (Even more so after reading about the evil trolling and abuse she suffers!) This book is her laying herself bare for all. Yet throughout it all still promoting positivity and sincere gratitude to her followers. Chrissy Metz grew up in a large family, one that always seemed to be moving, and growing. Her father disappeared one day, leaving her mother to work a series of menial jobs and his children to learn to live with the threat of hunger and the electricity being cut off. When her mother remarried, Chrissy hoped for “normal” but instead experienced a form of mental pain that seemed crafted just for her. The boys who showed her attention did so with strings attached as well, and Chrissy accepted it, because for her, love always came with conditions. It is so sad that she was a child that were afraid of adults, that was neglected, abused and was not protected. Teachers should use this book in K-2 classrooms as a read aloud. To extend the lesson, challenge students to "fill" a suitcase with items that best say to the world, "Hi there, this is me!" The interactive text even includes a pop-up suitcase at the end of the book! Fun surprise! I laughed and I cried. I feel I now know Soph like an old friend and although I’ve been following her since before she wrote Hinch Yourself Happy, you can just tell that this has taken a hell a lot of inner strength to write.

I know now that when families are in crisis, kids blame themselves, and kids also take on adult burdens. Which is why it is important that I say something else: Arredondo Farms is still there and I won't say a single bad thing about it. People look down on people who grow up in trailer parks." pg 25

Available with Words on Screen™ allowing you to display song lyrics on any whiteboard, computer screen, television or interactive touchscreen. The lyrics synchronize with the music as it plays making them easy to teach and easy to learn! This isn’t going to win any awards, but it was an interesting read, I definitely left it having learned more about Mrs Hinch than I did prior to reading this. Chrissy Metz relates her abusive and underprivileged childhood and how hard work and perseverance made her into the inspirational figure and television superstar she is today.I have been a member of this family since way before everyone and their Nan followed Soph on Insta. Chrissy Metz stars on the NBC hit show, This is US as Kate Pearson, one of the triplets. If you have never seen this show, you don't need to have, to read this book, but I think you might afterwards. This book chronicles her life from when she was a young child to her life today after making it on such a great show. It goes through her struggles with her weight and being accepted by family as well as outsiders. And her main focus is being happy with the person she is no matter her size or job. I really liked the first chapter, but it went downhill from there. There was a weird amount of humble bragging/regular bragging? And I found her to be a likely unreliable narrator. I found Chrissy Metz to be inspiring before I read her memoir. Now, I feel like she's a literal hero for anyone who simply wants to live life as they are and not accept anyone else's standards for what beautiful, strong and successful is. And she manages to be kind and humble while doing it. I know she has trolls and the bit in the book about them giving her anxiety upsets me. Why can’t people be nice?! I will tell you why....it’s jealousy! They are jealous that someone as beautiful and down to earth as her is a huge success.

I would categorize this book as a Self-Help Memoir. Chrissy gives explains how she overcame many obstacles in her life and shares these lessons with her readers. She is a strong independent woman, moving her whole life from Gainsville, Florida to Los Angeles, California to pursue her acting career. This was not something that came easy for her and she spent 9 years as a agent helping others with their acting careers before she was able to really start her own. As she is saying: You are enough! You can be successful, and you are awesome, you can fly, being yourself. Our true happiness is inside of us. Like me, everything you need to fly—to soar—has been inside you all along. Just as you are, you’re enough. Major Themes: Culture is a major theme of this story. The teacher tells the students about her culture, and we see unique cultures of the students. Acceptance is another theme; the students tell all about their most prize possessions to their peers. The students share their interests, and meaningful belongings, without fear of rejection. The last theme of this book is: Individuality. The students show all their unique personalities. They each have their own voices; and we get to hear about the things they love most.George Webster is an actor, BAFTA-winning presenter, Ambassador for Mencap, and a star of Strictly Come Dancing 2022, including its Christmas Day special. George was catapulted into the public eye when he spoke about Down syndrome in his myth-busting video for BBC Bitesize, and was later asked to be a presenter on CBeebies. George was the first ever CBeebies presenter to have Down syndrome. This lovely piece of poetry was a great introduction to our Star Student classroom ritual. Each week a student gets to bring in a paper bag filled with items that best describe them. I used this book to help students think deeply about what prized possessions they would choose to tell the class about themselves.