Cover Image: I am Not a Label

I am Not a Label

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. This is a brilliant book for educating and enlighten both young and old.

Was this review helpful?

Wow. Every parent needs a copy of this book on their children's bookcase.

Cerrie Burnell (you may remember her from Cbeebies) has put together stories of 34 artists, thinkers, athletes and activists with disabilities - past and present.

The foreword by Cerrie herself is wonderful. She explains that being born with one hand (and even having a hook at one point) meant that she never saw protagonists or heroines that were like her in any children's book that she read. The aim of this book is to introduce children to people who have disabilities but have managed to do amazing things.

My son C was delighted to see Beethoven on the first page because he is absolutely obsessed with composers. I often joke that they'd be his specialist Mastermind subject.

We learn about all types of disabilities, whether they are visible or hidden like being blind like Stevie Wonder, having autism like Temple Grandin and having spina bifida like Catalina Devantas.

It opened up a lot of conversation between C and myself. He had a lot of questions and was eager to learn more.

It is a wonderfully educational book and I especially loved that they included a transgender person and mentioned about one person having relationships with both men and women.

The glossary at the end is brilliant for easily explaining words that children may never have heard before such as cisgender and fibromyalgia.

An absolutely fantastic compilation of stories featuring some of the most brilliant people. The illustrations are lovely too. We will know most, if not all, of the people included in this book but the way they have been drawn is stunning.

Was this review helpful?

This book is fabulous. It’s well written, vibrant and engaging. I loved the use of colour and the sharp way in which the text was written. I would recommend this for the classroom and school library.

Was this review helpful?

I Am Not A Label- I requested this book as this is something I often have to remind people. I myself have Cerebral Palsy and Hydrocephalus with 4 severe vision impairmants and I am an electric wheelchair user.

The title is perfect for the purpose and content of the book and really hits home, as does the cover. Each page is dedicated to a famous person with a disability and theit story is dealt with in an interesting, thought-provoking and emotional way. The stories are complemented by beautiful illustrations.

I am used to having to self-advocate and have been from a very young age. I hope this book goes a long way to educating adults and children about disabilities. There's only one things left to say- I really wish it was around when I was a child and teen, it could have been very useful. I think the book makes the topic of disability accessible to people and not something which, unfortunately, some people are reluctant to talk about today.

I also think that the book goes a long way towards making people want to know more about everyone who is featured in it. It is written in a fun way but is also like a fairy tale for each story.

Thanks to Cerrie Burnell and publisher for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

I Am Not a Label is a beautifully illustrated anthology of tales about disabled artists, athletes, activists, thinkers, writers and performers who refused to be limited by the label they were given in respect to their disability. It includes diverse mix of well known names such as Frida Kahlo and Stephen Hawking alongside less well known names. It is incredibly informative, educational and inspirational. It is designed for children but children and adults alike will enjoy and learn from it. I read it to my 6 year old who has many of the ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ series and he enjoyed it as a natural, more detailed progression from those stories. I would recommend it for children age 6 and above.

Was this review helpful?

Another in the vain of Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, and a great addition to the growing set of biography books set out like this; the one page bio teamed up with a beautiful illustration. This books lives up to the title and goes to prove you are not the label of your illness and should be required reading for all.

Was this review helpful?

What a beautiful and important book. In it, we meet 34 people with inspiring stories, who just so happen to have disabilities. I loved that the figures ranged in time from the 18th Century to the present day, that they achieved greatness in so many different fields from Science and Law to Athletics and Popular culture, and that they represented both physical and “hidden” disabilities.

The illustrations are beautiful and engaging, and I truly believe that this book will provide children with an opportunity to learn about others with different abilities from their own before any preconceptions around “disabilities” are developed. I learned from this book, as did my daughter, so is certainly one of those timeless books that can span generations, allowing more to be taken from it with each read. We shall certainly be revisiting it.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

Was this review helpful?

A wonderful, uplifting, and eye-opening book that belongs in every home, school, and library. This beautifully illustrated book includes stories of hidden disabilities and mental health and does a lot to tackle ableism by showing what it looks like, how it manifests itself, and how to root it out. I'll be recommending it to everyone.

Was this review helpful?

I really liked this book and will definitely be adding this to the collection at school. The illustrations are really lovely. There are a couple of things that really started to irritate me: after a few biographies, the opening parts of each one just sounded formulaic, like the specific information was just filling in the blanks. The other issue is the number of spelling and grammar errors, which are a bit of a deal-breaker with me when recommending books for children at work. I am hoping, however, that this will be corrected in the final published book as I think this book is so important, for children to see themselves in books.

Was this review helpful?

“Challenge your preconceptions of disability and mental health” - this book promises to do just that. People from all ages, races and historical times with fascinating stories to be shared and to inspire children.
This book is a celebration of differences, overcoming pre-conceived limitations and being true to who you are. Highlighted in the book are 34 people who have proven that they are strong, worthy and rise to challenges. Inspirational and a brilliant addition to the previously published volumes of stories featuring people we should look up to.
The illustrations are stylish and quirky, each individual given a unique design to help represent who they are and their celebrated differences. There were familiar faces as well as some I didn’t know, which makes the book all the more readable.

Was this review helpful?

"I Am Not A Label" the title is bold and so is the content of the book. This book is a collection of thirty short biographies of thirty phenomenal people. People who overcame the odds in their life, proving the world that their disability is not a label. All these biographies aren't just biographies. They contain hope, inspiration and encouragement for young readers. The colourfu illustrations makes it more interesting.

Was this review helpful?

I am Not a Label is 34 artists, thinkers, athletes and activists with disabilities from past and present. It's an engaging and educational read for all ages. Very inspiring and motivational as well, showing you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it and are determined enough.

Was this review helpful?

This book is non-fiction aimed at children, however, I want to start this review off by saying that everyone should read this book, no matter what age you are. From young to old and everything in between. This book should be in schools, libraries and bedrooms.

The book is beautifully illustrated and very well written. Each page is a wonder to the eyes, and to the mind. Not only does this book focus on physical disabilities, but also on learning disabilities and mental health. It includes people from all over the world and is full of diversity. Every child should be able to find someone in there that they relate to on some level.

Not only is every person's story in there, but it's written in a way that will draw children's attention towards it. Each page is beautifully illustrated with bright colours and wonderful patterns. As well as each person is unique, each of their pages are too. It's extremely well thought out and planned.

At the end of the book, there is a glossary with the definition of some of the words used in the book, such as Polio, chronic, cancer etc. Which I think is a great addition to have. the author could have easily left it out, leaving children wondering what the terms meant, but instead they are explained at the back, allowing the child to read and understand on their own.

Was this review helpful?

This book is educational and informative whilst also being engaging!

I would highly recommend this book and would encourage teachers to add it to their classroom collections.

Was this review helpful?

'I am Not a Label' is a Book that should be available everywhere. In schools, libraries, everyone one no matter their age should read it.

It depicts the lives of so many athletes, artists, historical people and activists who didn't give up on their dreams and continue to inspire people.

The illustrations that accompanied every page were beautiful and if it wasn't a kids book I would have loved to read more than the one page explaining each person.

The range of people written about are diverse and range from Lincoln to a trans model called Aaron Philip.

I just want to shout from the rooftop and encourage everyone to get this book whether for their own kids or for schools and libraries and make books like these more accessible and easy to find, read and be inspired by.

Was this review helpful?

Wow. What an incredibly educational book. I was moved by the authors introduction and fascinated by the information contained within the following pages. So many iconic figures who each had their own battles to face contained in this book!

I thought the fact that mental health was also covered was brilliant and this is definitely one I will be adding to my sons library to teach him that anyone can make a difference.

Was this review helpful?

"We all have ability, the difference is how you use it"

This book was such a nice surprise! It depicts the lives and achivements of 30 incredible people that happen to live with a disability. I think every kid should read this book, specially nowadays that children's buyilling is on the rise, so they can see that no matter how different we may be, we can all achieve amazing things if we really try.

Every biography is told like a fairy tale. I missed that the author delved a bit more into some of the stories as they center mostly only on the positive, but that's the perspective of a 37 years old guy and this book is aimed to children. How I would have loved to have a book like this when I was a kid!). Some of these stories truly made me tear up. Every story is also accompanied by an incredible illustration. I loved the diversity of characters the author chose (artists, musicians, athletes, scientists, activists...) and not only career wise but also the diversity in nationalities and social backgrounds.

Amazing book (not only for kids) that showcases how much people with disabilities can achieve.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group-Wide Eyed Editions, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?