I Am Every Good Thing

Derrick Barnes’ award-winning I Am Every Good Thing is a rousing celebration of Black boyhood. In this picture book, vibrantly illustrated by Gordon C. James, Black boys are adventurous, polite, inquisitive, playful, creative, artistic, athletic, brave, and worthy. They are also loving, vulnerable, and reliable. The text has a cadence that demands to be read out loud, performed, sung, or shouted with joy and veracity. The boys’ faces radiate light, love, and the joyfulness of childhood so readers can’t help but smile as they read along.