What a fun and unique way to teach the ABC's. When introducing letters and sounds to my child, I try to expand to vocabulary outside and this book is a great way to help do that. Not only is it helping to introduce letters, but feelings and emotions as well. I highly recommend adding this book to shelfs for young kiddos!

This book was very interesting- I like the idea of it- taking words that typically have negative connotations and putting a positive spin on them. Still some are interesting words for children to understand fully so beware your audience. Great book and illustrations and would recommend for children of the correct age

This was a really good read. I liked that it was different. Usually when I see children's books that are titled with "ABC'S", it would usually say something like "A is for apple, B is for ball, C is for Cat....." and so on. Simple words. This book was different. Geared more towards reality and explanations of why. It was refreshing.

Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book. As a kid who was called bossy and a know-it-all (although often in jest) enough to make me shy and quiet as a teen, I think rebranding these terms in a positive light to help children feel more confident in their own assertiveness. Having an A-Z meant that so many often used negatively terms are able to be made better and show just how positive these words can actually be in the right context. Hopefully this can help the next generation from becoming more shy and withdrawn than those before them were by the negative use of such words.

Favourite Quote:
“While I have no control over the words that are spoken I'm shaping a new narrative and will not feel broken. I'll remember that our words can build us up and empower So, plant a seed of good vibes and watch them flower.”

This alphabet book has stunning illustrations and beautiful descriptions on each page. My students and my own children will enjoy reading this book over and over. Each letter represents a different aspect of personality- kids will be able to identify their own traits as well as others in this expressive text.

These ABCs Belong to Me is a wonderful addition to my "all about me" unit. This will foster all kinds of wonderful conversation about our differences and help explain some of our personality traits. I appreciate how the author pointed out the positive attributes of some words people hear about their behavior. Typically those words are said in a negative voice but this book shows the opposite.

A powerful and hopefully helpful way to flip the 'negative' adjectives that a child may be called. Bossy, obnoxious, timid, the list goes on of words that might stick in a child's mind and shape the way they feel about themselves. As the author writes in their end notes, this book is a way of flipping that script. With each letter of the alphabet, a new 'negative' word is transformed into a more positive thought: 'lazy' becomes restorative, 'explosive' becomes deeply emotional, 'picky' becomes discerning, etc.

I think this will be helpful for children learning about not just themselves, but others as well. 'Negative' traits they may see in a friend can be reinterpreted here to help them better understand others.

While the rhyming sometimes feels a bit off (as many kids' books do), I have to say that the illustrations are bright, vibrant, and engaging! Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*These ABCs Belong to Me!* by Alicia McKenzie is a puzzling and ultimately disappointing picture book. While the illustrations are visually appealing and show care in their design, the book’s overall message and structure are deeply flawed. Many pages use white text on very light backgrounds, making them hard to read. More importantly, the tone throughout is overwhelmingly negative. Each letter of the alphabet is tied to words with harsh or discouraging connotations, creating a long string of negative messages that fill nearly the entire book.

The intended message seems to be that we can choose how we define ourselves, regardless of what others say. However, this theme is only addressed on the final page, and by then it feels like too little, too late. After spending the vast majority of the book reinforcing negative labels, one page of vague encouragement does not feel adequate or convincing. I worry that young readers could absorb the negativity without fully grasping the intended lesson. This book is unlikely to be revisited and is difficult to recommend. I would rate it 1 out of 5 stars. I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and The Collective Book Studio.

This book is phenomenal! Such a fun, important message with vibrant, inclusive illustrations throughout. I love that Alicia took words like extra, bossy, and timid and flipped the script! She decided to teach her kids that people don’t get to define you. YOU define you. Your loved ones define you. Someone can call you extra but guess what? “More is better than not enough!” 🫶🏼 I LOVE THAT!!! It’s our job as parents to make sure our kids love themselves and that they learn resiliency and this book has that in spades!!! Being able to teach this to your own children and then share it with the world? Alicia, that is your SUPERPOWER! 💪🏼 Teaching kids the power of positive thinking is everything.

Thank you so much to author Alicia McKenzie for sharing your superpower with us! Thank you to NetGalley and The Collective Book Studio for the ARC copy for my review!

This is a children's books that highlights many words we use everyday to describe others, children especially. These words are often stigmatized and seen as negative. This books takes these words and makes them positive and powerful, giving them a new perspective that doesn't seem like a bad thing! It provides openness and acceptance for being described as "bossy" or "extra" and shows how these can be positive and that when they may get to a point where these qualities are negative and hurting others it is not spiteful and that we can be these things and be open for feedback from others and that is ok. I would definitely give this book to friends with children and buy it for my own children one day!

This book was beautifully written and such a powerful book. The book has a lot of heart and a clear message, that whilst we can’t always choose what words are spoken. We can in fact choose the way we view them. As a mother and also a teacher I think the messages in this book are important and I would read this to my own child and the students in my classroom. The illustrations were fun, vibrant and engaging. I think children of all ages could appreciative these images. They are also detailed well and there are lots of great talking points within the story and images to help you teach and reinforce the message.

4.75
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✨

Thanks to Netgalley and The Collective Book Studio for this eARC. I confirm this review is honest and that all thoughts are my own.

I really liked this book! My son LOVES the ABC’s and upon reading the premise of the book, it really caught my eye. This book takes certain words that usually have negative connotation to them and flips them on their head to a positive. This was ingenious as it can really help reframe a child’s mind to take these words and make them their own power, rather than something that could be taken as them doing/or being something wrong.

I personally also found it was teaching ME a few things along the way as a parent! It’s so easy to fall into the trap of labelling our children ‘hyper’, ‘messy’ and thinking that these are bad traits to have, and this book helped ME see that they are not.

I guess I didn’t give it full marks as I fear it may teach children to use those words openly as compliments and perhaps with them being taken the wrong way by others, but I suppose that’s the whole reason for this book. To instill and seed a positive way of thinking and sharing those messages to one another, or at least taking them onboard themselves for positive self-talk. I also found the colours to be VERY bright and some of the illustrations a little chaotic with a little too much going on, which could be a little overstimulating for little minds, but I did appreciate the diversity of all the children portrayed.

Overall I thought it was a great book and would definitely recommend. The eReader sadly didn’t load the book properly so my experience of reading it was a little obscured, but I would definitely buy this for my 3 year old son as a paperback.

More of a self esteem book than an ABC book. Questionable word usage for ABC purposes such as using Know-it-all for the letter K. But a cute way for kids to think about themselves and everything that makes them them.

This book was wonderful! I thought it was so amazing how McKenzie does turn negatives into positives. This is helpful for children labelled as these things to view their strengths as well as for adults to remain open-minded and empathetic towards a child that might be a bit challenging. This book inspired me to be more empathetic and had me feeling more confident about my own "flaws".

I absolutely loved this book and will be purchasing it for my kids on release date too!

The illustrations are dynamic and colourful. I love the reframing of attributes that can often be used in a negative away and prompting people to look for the positives or understand why people might be that way.

As a woman who grew up with undiagnosed ADHD a lot of these words were used to describe me in a negative way and there was actually something quite healing in reading this book.

I am excited to purchase a physical copy to read regularly with my kids

I liked how this book took some adjectives that are typically seen as 'bad' and twisted them into good things (i.e. 'bossy'). It also seemed like a good way to help kids learn to put a name to their emotions to try to help them determine why they're acting the way they are and what can help them feel better (i.e. 'grumpy' = needs more rest). It did feel very wordy at times however.

These ABCs Belong to Me, written by Alicia McKenzie and illustrated by Sarah Demonteverde goes through the alphabet and talks about different descriptiove traits that can apply to children and individuals, I liked this book because it looked at some emotions that are seen in a negative way and how they can actually be positive, and also showed a diverse variety of characters in the book. I wasn’t sure how I felt at first about some of the “negative” descriptive words that were being used but I realize now that is kind of the point. Children are often told that they might be bossy, extra, or a know it all, (just to name a few!) and it is important for them to know that this isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes these traits or characteristics help us to be the people that we are!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the author, publisher, and narrator of this book for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An adorable children’s book, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it to my baby son. As a Mama to two, possibly three kiddos with Autism, I loved how inclusive the language is and is encouraging us both to all be gentle with ourselves about our multitude of feelings and also to be kind and inclusive with one another. Beautifully illustrated and a delight to read about the different emotions.

The author, herself a mother of five children, really gets to the heart of what makes us diverse and why it's special to appreciate our uniqueness. I love the wide variety of human qualities that are celebrated including being clumsy, a picky eater, bossy, or quiet. Not good or bad, just ways we are or feel at times.

This is such an inclusive, colorfully illustrated book, that will be perfect for storytime or bedtime readings. I highly recommend this book for schools and libraries.

These ABCs Belong to Me! is an empowering alphabet book that encourages readers to reclaim words often seen as negative, like “bossy,” “clumsy,” and “picky.” The illustrations are vibrant and diverse, bringing the message to life. The book teaches children that we are more than the labels others may place on us. However, I do wonder if younger readers might misinterpret some of the words or use them in ways we don’t want them to describe themselves, such as “obnoxious.” This book might be better suited for older elementary students, perhaps in a restorative practice setting or as part of a discussion about labels in the classroom. It’s a great tool for encouraging reflection and conversation about self-worth. Thanks to NetGalley and The Collective Book Studio for the ARC!