I received this ARC from Netgalley for am honest review.
Minnie and Max are the best of friends. When Minnie gets home from school she is excited to see Max, her grandmothers dog. One day Minnie gets off the bus and isn't herself. Grandma asks her what is wrong, and discovers that Minnie was teased at school because of her hair. Now Max feels badly too because he's not as good looking as the other dogs. Cute illustrations and a book with a positive message.

This is a wonderful book with a positive message concerning body image. Minnie has been teased about her hair at school and is feeling badly about herself, especially her looks. Why can't she have straight hair? Why can't she be different like her friends?

Grandma always picks her up with their dog Max after school. She immediately notices her little granddaughter's downheartedness.

"You seem a bit down in the dumps, Minnie, noticed Grandma, "is there something the matter?"

"Yes," Minnie whispered. She was feeling fed up. School had not gone at all well today. At playtime two girls wouldn't let her play with them. They'd laughed at her, saying, "You look silly!" She had thought about it all day."

Beloved Grandma, sensing her sweet girl's pain, suggests they go play at the park which always makes Minnie and Max so very happy. Once there they witness all sizes, shapes and abilities of kids and dog too. With empathy and love Grandma guides her little one through different ways she can build her self confidence thus building up their self-worth.

It seems body image is starting younger and younger these days. When I was teaching, kids even in grade two, were talking about diets they were on and the latest fashions they just had to have to look cool. The authors deliver a clear message with the aid of beautiful illustrations that will encourage and inspire kids to embrace who they are created to be thus enriching their mental health and overall well-being.

There are questions posed at the end of the book to help kids positively navigate through their times of personal dissection and in doing so they learn to celebrate and appreciate their own wonderful uniqueness. I highly recommend this book.

"Well I wouldn't change a thing about you, I love you just exactly the was your are!" Grandma exclaimed these words when both Minnie and Max were dealing with a self image crisis brought on by the comments of others. In fact grandma goes onto share how people come in all shapes, sizes and colour and if we look around us we can see that.

This book is very special, Minnie and max - person and dog both struggle with their self worth because of comments at school that Minnie looks silly and was laughed at. They both questioned their worth and wished they were something they are not. Unfortunately society (starting from a very young age in schools) have expectations of what one should look like, are not accepting of differences and make a point of bullying those that aren't like them.

What I love about this book is that the author shows how differences make the world less boring, that differences are all around us and it is what makes the world interesting. I also love that the dog has the same feelings as Minnie. At the end of the book are some questions designed to help children explore the topic further, questions such as "what could you do or say if someone was unkind to you or teased you" and "What would it be like if everyone looked the same?"

There is also a section of questions called celebrating our skills, how often do we celebrate someones skills? I think there should be more celebration of people's skills and this is why this set of questions is my most favourite section of the book.

The authors have beautifully written about this topic of diversity and how we should embrace it. Teaching children self worth from a young age and continuing to support them through this as they get older is vital for good mental health . I applaud the authors for taking the time to explore this topic and bring the issue to light.

The illustrator has done a lovely job of the illustrations and my favourite is of the playground with all the differences happening around Minnie, Max and Granny.

Overall I highly recommend this book and feel that it is one that should be on all library and home book shelves. Lets build our children's self worth one book at a time.

This is very much a lesson book. The lesson book is that it’s okay to be who you are, and that it is nice that everyone is different. While it’s not pushed at the reader, it’s also about not teasing anyone, because it can hurt their feelings. The illustrations are fun and the book is okay. But the topic has been done better.

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Added Litsy

Very nice story. It features Minnie, her Dog Max and Grandma. One day when Grandma and Max pick Minnie up from school they can tell there is something wrong.. Grandma asks Minnie. Minnie's friends had picked on her during recess and wouldn't let her play with them. They picked on her because of her looks. Minnie was very upset abut this and Grandma explained t her that it would be boring if everyone looked the same. Minnie started to feel better. She then saw her friends at the park n the way home and Grandma told her to go play with them., all was better and they had a great time.

This book is about teasing and self esteem. It is a great lesson for both the kids being picked on and it is also great for the kids picking on others, so they can understand how they make the others feel.

My daughter and I LOVED this book and all the lessons it provided. The questions at the end created a great open dialogue and segued well into conversations that may have been less than appealing to talk about before, however necessary. This is a great book that we definitely will be recommending to our family and friends.

Minnie is usually a vivacious little girl who loves playing with her dog Max. But one day when her Grandma picks her up from school she doesn't seem herself. She's been teased about the way she looks and now wants to look like everyone else. Max picks up on her mood and begins to wish he were like other dogs so Grandma helps to cheers them up.



Well illustrated and quite thought provoking for a kid, it made my munchkin question the way she thinks about the way people look and if it's really important. It was nice to read this aloud and the discussion it provoked with her was quite illuminating for me too. It made me a little sad that this is such an issue it warrants books written about it but it does a very good job of explaining how people's feelings can be hurt by a careless comment. This is a great book for children who may be getting bullied but also (in an ideal world) maybe one for kids that are showing signs of been bullies themselves.

--I received this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are purely my own and not influenced in any way.--
Minnie returns home after being made fun of at school and with the help of her grandmother and Max, her loyal dog, she learns to love herself and the way she looks. I actually love this book and its message of body acceptance and to love yourself because everyone looking the same is boring. This is certainly a great message for children of all ages and Max's antics are sure to be a hit.

Minnie is an adorable little girl with a head of curly hair, Max is her sheepdog. After school everyday, Minnie is picked up at school by grandma and Max and follows a routine. When some girls make fun of Minnie at school she is upset and grandma notices that she is upset about something. Grandma knows just what to do to help Minnie realize that she is fine and looks just the way she is supposed to. With her calm nature and smart ideas she gets Minnie to realize that both she and Max are okay just the way they are. While Minnie plays with friends at the park, she realizes that grandma is right and she has good friends. What a great book to use with children who are either being teased or are the ones doing the teasing. There are ideas and follow up activities at the end of the book to help reinforce the ideas in the story.

Great book for elementary age students about loving who you are and accepting the differences in others!

Children usually are at least a little self conscious about what they look like, generally from society or even their own comparisons to their friends. Regardless, many children start to feel some form of insecurity about themselves when they're in elementary school, and this is where I feel Minnie and Max are Okay really shines. I love the moral of being okay with your flaws, and how they approach the topic in a lighthearted way is exactly what some young child would want to hear. It definitely seems like a book a therapist or counselor would have- I really can't see a kid picking up this book on their own accord- and the questions really do seem to pick their mind and let their inner self shine through. Overall, I really recommend this book to a child feeling down about how they look, since it really is a good book to counteract it and replace the negativity with positivity.

Minnie and Max are OK!: A Story to Help Children Develop a Positive Body Image by Chris Calland, Nicky Hutchinson, Emmi Smid is a children's book that is currently scheduled for release on May 18 2017. Minnie has had a bad day at school. Some children made fun of her looks, and she wishes she was more like them. Max, Minnie's dog, wishes he looked different too. And he doesn't understand why Grandma doesn't like his singing! When Grandma sees that Minnie and Max aren't OK, she takes them to the park. There, they see lots of children and dogs - all with different shapes, sizes, colors and special traits. If they all looked the same, would it be better or worse?

Minnie and Max are OK! is a charming read for children dealing with any self esteem issues. While the official blurb for the book focuses on body image, I think any child that feels like they are different- via physical, emotional, economical, or any difference really- can benefit from the book. I think readers that might join in on mocking or commenting negatively on others might also benefit from the read, since it would help them understand how hurtful their words and actions can be. This would be a good book to share with preschool and early elementary school students- either through class or one on one reading. It would be a great discussion starter on diversity, kindness, and bullying. Best of all there are questions for parents or other adults to share with children to further enhance the lessons of the story.

A great way to discuss a topic with your kiddos, this book was wonderfully done! I hope that parents pick this book up and read it with their kiddos.

~Disclaimer~
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.
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The story of Minnie and her dog Max. Minnie is usually super excited when her grandmother picks her up from school. But today she is very quiet. Man is sad that she isn't happy to see him. Her grandmother asks Minnie what is wrong? At school some girls wouldn't play with her. They laughed at her and said that she looked silly. Minnie and Max both begin to wish that they looked different. Minnie tells her grandmother that she didn't like the way she looked. Her grandmother tells her that she loves her just the way she is.
This is the most diverse book that I have ever read. Right from the second page you are bound to find someone that you can relate to. It touches upon self-esteem, diversity and body image. This is the perfect book to read with your child to show them that everyone is different and special in their own way. The differences in people is what makes them special. In the back of the book there are suggested questions to discuss with your child to further explore the topic of body positivity and diversity. This would be a good book to read with a child that is feeling badly about looking different from their friends. My favourite quote from this book is "Imagine how boring it would be if we all looked the same!"

A must must read!

5/5 ⭐

I loved this story. It teaches kids that it is ok to be different and that they should be themselves, rather than wishing to be someone else.