Skip to main content

Me and You

Image from amazon.co.uk

In a double narrative, Me and You is a transformation of the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In wordless sepia toned illustrations, Browne depicts Goldilocks’ origin story set in an inner city where she lives in a single-parent home and is raised by her mother. Feeling the want of Baby Bear’s idyllic suburban life, this character has no voice of her own and no color in her existence. Having wandered out of her world and into his, Goldilocks roams through his home, sees how the other half live, and revels in the colorful idealized world. However when the homeowners return and express their disapproval, Goldilocks flees—escaping their world and returning to hers where she is greeted by the open arms of her mother. Browne’s juxtaposition of sepia and color, voicelessness and voicing, and realism and idealism masterfully convey a little girl’s struggle to accept her imperfect existence and find emotional peace. Such intense symbolism lends itself to a study of character development that explores the concepts of flat, round, dynamic, and static characters; antithesis; and juxtaposition. Moreover, Browne’s parallel perspectives will make an excellent pairing for John Cheever’s “The Opportunity.”

  • Me and You by Anthony Browne; illus. by author
  • Primary
  • Farrar, Straus and Giroux
  • 32 pp.
  • 2010
  • 978-0-3743-4908-0
  • $16.99
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Becoming a Comics Librarian and the Importance of Joining a Community of Practice

  Originally published April 5, 2023 Library Developments Blog |  Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission ***** As a freshly-minted librarian, I was hired to serve at THE high school bearing my district’s name alongside an amazingly zany, veteran librarian who knew the current collection inside and out as she’d been the one to revitalize it with bond money just prior to my arrival. To say that I was intimidated about what I could possibly have to contribute is more than an understatement. So when the moment of truth arrived and I was handed a “small” purchase order to get my feet wet, I. Was. Stymied! Her  fingerprints were all throughout that collection, and what  she  didn’t read our assistant  did . How would I ever fit into this team?! What could I possibly contribute?! To be honest… after teaching a core, tested subject for fifteen years, I was just beginning to read young adult literature regularly...
Post a Comment
Read more

Notes From the Field: Waltz Across Texas, First Dance

Originally published August 1, 2024 Library Developments Blog |  Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission In July, I kicked off the first in a series of day-long turns around clusters of small public libraries to tour their spaces and chat about how the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) can best support their leadership. This round, the fancy feet of Continuing Education and Consulting Team Manager Katherine Adelberg accompanied me as we spun through New Braunfels Public Library, Seguin Public Library, and Martindale Community Library. New Braunfels Public Library New Braunfels is perched on the brink of the Hill Country, right between San Antonio and Austin on I-35. Spanning Comal and Guadalupe counties with its 105,000 residents, it’s not only one of the fastest-growing cities, but is also regarded as one of the best 50 places to live in the United States. Established in 1845, New Braunfels is known for its German...
Post a Comment
Read more

Decloaking Wakanda: Creating Space for BIPOC Nerds

On February 9, 2023, at the fourth Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC), I had the exhilarating experience of guiding a discussion that focused on the need to connect with nerd culture and create a welcoming environment for the BIPOC fandom. The soul of this session had been several years in the making and built on countless heart-to-heart moments. So, I couldn’t imagine a better venue for seeing it actualized than my first JCLC. Furthermore, for this session, I had the honor of being in conversation with fellow nerds and comics librarians Jean Darnell and Deimosa Webber-Bey . To my eternal amazement, our talk was met with a standing room only reception, and afterward we were repeatedly regaled with tales of being turned away at the door. In hopes of capturing a small portion of that day's magic, this post grew out of that discussion. *** For the past 30 years, BIPOC nerds have existed in the cringe-worthy shadow of Urkel. What if, instead, they’d had portrayals such as ...
1 comment
Read more