A playful yet profound take on the phrase “I contain multitudes”
Awards and Honours
- Charlotte Zolotow Award 2024 Honor Book
About the Book
A little girl admires her nana’s wooden nesting dolls that sit side by side on the windowsill. They all look exactly the same: pink cheeks, frilly aprons, and big smiles—except for the tiniest doll, which is small and unpainted and looks like a raw peanut. The girl thinks the matching smiles of all the other dolls don’t feel quite right. After all, she has many different faces and feelings inside of her, and the dolls should too!
Starting with the peanut, the girl draws new expressions on all the dolls’ faces, from toothy grins to grimaces. But when Nana sees what her granddaughter has done, she’s furious and says the dolls are ruined. The girl disagrees. “If those dolls were me,” she says, “no two would be alike.” When Nana considers what her granddaughter is telling her, she slowly begins to understand. With a hug, and a warning to ask before embarking on any more art projects, Nana proudly returns the dolls to their spot.
This bright, uplifting story about honoring and acknowledging emotions also touches on communication skills, creative self-expression, and conflict resolution. Written with humor and honesty, it reminds readers that, just like nesting dolls, there’s more to us than meets the eye.
Book Details
- Author : Laura Alary
- Illustrator : Salini Perera
- Publisher : Owlkids (Oct. 15 2023)
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 1771475331
- ISBN-13 : 978-1771475334
Interviews
Read an interview with illustrator Salini Perera on Let’s Talk Picture Books
Read an interview with Laura Alary on Owlkids Creator Corner
Watch an interview with Laura Alary, Loretta Garbutt, and Jennifer Stokes on SEL Picture Books
Reviews
“It can be challenging to write children’s books about complex ideas such as emotions – particularly with the added nuance of exploring how multiple versions of ourselves can exist in one body. But Alary and Perera do a masterful job…” —Starred Review from Quill and Quire
“All the Faces of Me, a beautiful story about the complexities of being human, is told in a way that is accessible to very young readers.” —Canadian Review of Materials
“Brimming with humor and emotional honesty, this superb picture book skillfully translates complex ideas about emotions and identity into an accessible story full of child-appeal. Terrific pacing also distinguishes this tale of a loving (if momentarily fraught) relationship between a brown-skinned girl and her white grandmother. The exceptional storytelling is paired with illustrations that have a naïve yet slightly edgy quality.” —Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Laura Alary 