A little girl learns that everyone in their life had stolen something or the other. Stealing makes her feel guilty and gives her a burden. She corrects herself by confessing and returning the thing she had stolen. A different and unique story which deals with the most common problem faced by kids.

What a cute book! Drawing are adorable and the story is great, I love great kids books like this that are cute and fun but still have a nice moral fit in as well.

A clever book that raises the question of morality in a young girl's life.
It poses the idea that labels can be applied that could stick and change perceptions.
Eliza's life is going well with positive, self-affirming titles that make her proud and self assured. This all changes when she takes something of a classroom exhibition table.
It weighs heavy on her pocket and heavier on her conscience.
She struggles with the concept that she has stolen something which makes her a thief. She asks those she loves and respects and finds some indiscretion in each person's life.
How can she resolve her ideas of self-worth and the loss of identity?

Well illustrated and a fun read to share with young impressionable minds. There is right and wrongin our lives but blame and condenation are pershaps the most damaging of responses.

What exactly is the point of this story? Is it that we are all thieves, so it’s not so bad? Even though it may not feel like the right thing to do, confessing makes it all acceptable? While this book certainly raises the issue of stealing, it doesn’t resolve it satisfactorily. And, what about a little lying? Do we all do that too?

I have to echo the other reviewers here and say this was a great idea with poor execution- there was really no lesson learned here. I was hoping for something a little different to get the message across to my 5 yr old, with whom I recently had a similar experience. I hoped this book would reinforce the discussion I had with her, but instead the girl in the book is applauded for being brave and courageous, and there’s no real punishment doled out.

This book is one that’ll open a good discussion between parents and children as it deals not just in making poor choices but, more importantly, how to deal with making apologies and reparations afterward. The graphics are very well done, which will be very appealing to younger kids and keep their attention.
This story deserves to be in every library and in every household.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2781335142This is an odd book, that went on far too long.

The whole point of the book is to teach children that stealing is wrong. (Unless you believe property is theft, but then this book wouldn't make sense to you even more.)

The thing is, from the moment she steals the green jewel, she knows, she knows it is wrong. The whole book could have been cut in half.

But, no, she wants to know if everyone steals, and if so are they all thieves. And yes, the instances, some were outright stealing, but others were accidents, or like the goat, animal nature.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5066" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.05.47-PM.png" alt="I am a thief" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5065" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-29-at-10.05.59-PM.png" alt="I am a theif" />

And there is no consequence. The girl is not punished, and life goes on.

Not quite sure what this is supposed to be teaching. That not everyone is perfect?

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Oh dear. I *really* wanted to love this story. The cover drew me in, and the blurb described a story that I thought was going to be an amazing lesson with a bit of humour. Unfortunately, I just can't get on board with the lesson this story ended up teaching.

The story starts well, with an amusing introduction to our little thief, Eliza Jane. Then, once the theft occurs, the description of guilt was incredible! I was sure this was going to be something I would recommend for every bookshelf. Every kid does something at some point that they need to own up to, and I thought this was going to be a story to show them how to do that.

But then things go a bit wonky. While I like the idea of recognizing that nobody is a bad person just for doing one bad thing, I absolutely do not like that there are no repercussions for this little girl who stole. I also really dislike that situations describing intentional theft are lumped in with descriptions of what are either accidental thefts or not even really theft at all.

At the end of it all, I just can't get behind the lesson that was actually taught. Although this might still be a great book to read to kids who are struggling to overcome deep feelings of guilt for relatively minor infractions, overall I think the lesson here is too murky for most kids to get a clear understanding.

Thank you to NetGalley and North South Books Inc. for providing me with a DRC of this book.

I thought this was a really cute story with lovely illustrations. I liked the way it tackled the subject of honesty and owning up when you'd done something wrong. A great message for kids delivered in a really age-appropriate way.

My children and I thoroughly enjoyed I am a Thief by Abigail Rayner. This story tells the tail or a young girl who takes something from her classroom and keeps it for herself. Throughout the story the guilt begins to eat away at her and she decides to see who else in her family has stolen something. It turns out that everyone had taken something in their lives. The lesson of the story is something that I think more books should be written about - when you make a mistake it is important to own up to it and learn the lesson. I think this book is a great addition to any home and all classrooms and the story can be taken from elementary to higher education.

I tried reading this with my littles but the ebook format was messed up so they couldn't follow along. I thought the story was perfect for toddlers who may have impulse control problems. To them they take an item they see without realizing its wrong, this book can help teach them. The illustrations were nice as well. Overall I would say this is a good children's book I would recommend to friends.

"I Am a Thief!" follows Eliza Jane Murphy through the guilt, attempted justification, and restitution after stealing a beloved classroom item. The reader sees Eliza's desire and inability to resist swiping the green stone. We see her embarrassment and shame when the entire class is heartsick over the missing item. We watch her try to justify her actions and ultimately find the courage to do the right thing. And then.. forgiveness.

As a kindergarten teacher, this is a topic that comes up more often than most would think. Having a strong read-aloud that shows students what happens after we make a bad decision is crucial in any early childhood library. I will absolutely be adding this to mine when it's released.

I get what they are trying to do here and am totally on board with teaching kids that nobody's perfect and being honest is important.
The illustrations are super cute, but this book definitely needs adult supervision to make sure the kids get that thievery is wrong and not funny or common.
Thank you NetGalley and North South Books Inc. for this DRC.

The book, as presented digitally, had pages mixed up.
It was a cute story with entertaining illustrations. However, the disjointed presentation led to a lacklustre review.

A big thank you to NetGalley and North South Books for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This.is a children's book. I have very mixed.feelings about this book. I understand the.premise but don't think a young child, will understand the distinction. Basically stealing is just wrong. Don't make excuses or call it brave because she put what she stole back. Good grief! She had no repercussions??!! That I didn't like. Yes no one is just one thing, but still not right. I did like the graphics. Rate it 2.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and North South Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! I think the moral of the story is a good one with teaching the wrongs of stealing. However, I felt the plot was a bit disjointed.

I didn’t feel that this story was reminiscent of Poe’s Tell Tale Heart.

Overall, great read.

I consider myself a pretty open-minded person...and this book took me by surprise. I didn’t like the message AT ALL, and I stopped reading it to my 6 year old a few pages in. I should’ve read it beforehand. The act of stealing and then trying to justify it while also projecting blame onto others was irresponsible....for this to be a story for children?? Definitely not something I would ever read to my kids. If I could give it 0 stars I would.

I don't like this. It's potentially confusing and conflates unintentional or ignorant acts with actual criminal behaviour.

Eliza Jane Murphy steals a green jewel from a display in her classroom. She knows it's stealing, and she immediately starts feeling bad about it. But rather than immediately doing what she knows she needs to do, she goes around and asks all her family members if they've ever stolen anything. It almost seems like a stalling tactic, or a way of justifying what she's done.

The problem that comes next is that the "stealing" that her family members talk about isn't always "stealing". Especially when it comes to animals and babies. A dog taking sausages, a cat running off with a toy, and a baby eating someone else's sandwich at the beach are only "stealing" in the most literal sense of the word. The intent is different in the cases of Eliza Jane's mother, grandfather, grandmother, and cousin, who are all old enough to know better.

It gets even worse when Eliza Jane then concludes that everyone is a thief. Even her teacher, because the woman has a pencil in her bag that's stamped with the words "Bill's Cafe". How do we know that wasn't a promotional item that was freely given? I just don't like how Eliza Jane turns around and accuses everyone of being a thief so she could feel better about what she did... which was (and she knew this from the very beginning) wrong.

The message is way too confusing in this one. The ending--showing Eliza Jane catching her father "stealing" a piece of cake from the fridge (it's his house, his cake... but whatever!)--just makes me annoyed. Eliza Jane copes with her guilt with projection... and I don't think that's a healthy thing to be teaching young readers.

This book has such beautiful illustrations! It is a great story infused with humor and an important lesson.