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ESTELLE AND THE SELF-ESTEEM MACHINE
Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet
Volume 22 Number 3
This story introduces us to Estelle, who because she cannot tie her shoelaces, has been sent by her teacher to the Self-Esteem Machine. (How the machine can rectify the situation is not immediately indicated.) In the line-up for the machine, she meets a fat lady, a mousy man, and a chef who has jus t lost his creativity, among others. Even Ms. Guided (Estelle's teacher) joins the line-up bemoaning her inability to teach Estelle the rudiments of bow-tying. When the machine breaks down, no one knows what to do until someone sugg ests that they ask an older person what wa s done in the "olden" days. Estelle then learns the value of a support group, and the link between encouragement and self-confidence. The inspiration for the book derives from the desire to provide an antidote to the: following statistic: "more than 90 percent of what children hear from their teachers is negative" (no source quoted). W hile the intention seems admirable, the rather heavy-handed approach offers little in fhe way o f story-line and leaves the target group thinking self-esteem is something to be found in a large shed rather than inside oneself. This would be a possible purchase for a large, well-rounded collection. Grades 2 to 3 / Ages 7 and 8Patricia L.M. Butler is a freelance librarian in Vancouver, British Columbia
The materials in this archive are copyright © The Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission Copyright information for reviewers
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