ESTELLE AND THE SELF-ESTEEM MACHINE Jo Bannatyne-Cugnet Illustrated by Leslie Bell Red Deer (Alta.), Red Deer College Press, 1993. 30pp,cloth, $14.95, ISBN 0-88995-09 7-0. (Northern Lights Books for Children). Distributed by Raincoast Book Distribution. CIP Reviewed by Pat Butler Volume 22 Number 3 1994 May / June 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 8 Patricia L.M. Butler is a freelance librarian in Vancouver, British Columbia HOME | TITLES | AUTHORS | MEDIA | AGE/GRADE | FEATURES | DATES 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 Digital Collections / Collections Numérisees cm@umanitoba.ca