54 out of 54 people found this review helpful.
You ARE Special
Date of Review: May 7, 2001
The Bottom Line: This book would make a wonderful gift! It can be learned from by every generation and treasured by children of all ages.
Max Lucado is best known as a Christian Author and is definitely one of the best. He writes for the young, the old, the beginners, the experienced and everyone else in between. It is because of his previous work that I purchased this book from Scholastic for my son.
"You Are Special" is a sweet story about a Wemmick,named Punchinello, who is feeling quite unworthy. He lives in a small village where every day Wemmicks passed out stickers to one another. Some received stars and were usually the ones with a talent or the ones thought to be better looking. The others received dots.
Punchinello becomes quite depressed because, as much as he tried to get a star, he only received dots. One day he met another wooden character and noticed she had no stickers on her. Punchinello asked Lucia why she didn't have any stickers and she replied, "It's easy. Everyday I go see Eli."
Eli, whose house sat upon a hill above the village, was the creator of the Wemmicks. Punchinello thought about going to visit Eli throughout the night. He finally decided that it wasn't right that the other Wemmicks passed out stars and dots, so he went. Eli was pleased to see Punchinello, but noticed the dots all over Punchinello. Punchinello tried to defend himself, saying that he didn't mean to get the dots and he tried really hard, but to no avail, to get stars. Eli explained that he didn't care what the Wemmicks thought of Punchinello. Puzzled Punchinello asked why and Eli replied, "They are Wemmicks just like you. All that matters is what I think. And I think you are special."
Wow! What a wonderful message. To teach every child that he/she is special and shouldn't care what others think because their Creator loves them no matter. My son has been teased for being "gifted" and we go back to the lesson this book teaches time and again. Reading this in times when he is feeling unworthy lifts his spirits and ready to face another day.
Every child deserves to feel special, as does every adult. We are all humans and put on this Earth together. This book keeps me in line as well. At times when I become cynical or depressed about not being able to "Compete with the Joneses," I can hear Eli saying that we are all special. This is truly an amazing book that can teach every one of us something.
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