Because You Are You

'Because You Are You' is a heartfelt conversation between a little mouse and his wise mama. Little mouse has ambitions of being a great painter, and baking a magnificent cake! But deep down he is wondering if he falls short of those ambitions, will his mama still love him? Mama mouse is the mother we all would want, not worrying about paint on walls, and willing to think out thoughts with little mouse "till the birds start to sing".

The painterly, delicate, detailed illustrations by Dine are filled with whimsy. I enjoyed the contrast between the white space around the characters on some pages and the full page colourful spreads where little mouse is imagining. It gave a real sense of wonder and of being immersed in the fantastical world of little mouse's imagination.

Never before have children grown up exposed to seeing people do extraordinary things and chasing that '5 minutes of fame'. This story is a gentle reminder that although being extraordinary is amazing, being loved for being yourself is the most important thing.