Norma L. Brumbaugh

You Are Special (Max Lucado’s Wemmicks) is a beautifully illustrated children’s book. This book has an incredible message for both children and adults. This is the book of choice for the first day of school. There is a way to read and teach it that is powerful. I take my time, stopping and discussing the feelings represented throughout its pages. Children identify with being a target, “dots” for disliked, and”stars” for approval (popularity). Bullying is always a problem in schools. People are mean or act falsely. This book can be used to show cause and effect. In an artful way, Lucado shows us through the story of Punchinello and the Woodcarver, social dynamics that frustrate human relationships. I use the concepts in this book to expose the emotional effects that bullying causes on those who are shunned or treated as “less than” others, the isolation, the groupings with others who are outcasts, and the lies they begin to believe about their own self. Children and staff love this book. Anyone listening in when I have read You Are Special identify with Punchinello, the Wemmick who isn’t liked. For the spiritual reader, this book has a secondary level of teaching. It provides an illustration of God’s grace to all no matter who you are and what you look like. He is our Maker who accepts us just the way we are. In the end, we realize that it really doesn’t matter what other people think of us, it’s our relationship with the “Woodcarver,” that brings us acceptance and love. Parents, grandparents, teachers, and children’s workers will appreciate this book.