This is a great book that teaches kids to love yourself just the way you are, and that everyone is special in their own way.

The story idea is good and very cute but my kindle book had various issues :
Wasn’t visible on paper white kindle
Pages were not In sequence
One page was divided into two locations on kindle

We could not enjoy it because of these issues.

I really like the cute art, but am a bit confused about the message. Kiki wishes she were colorful, like her friends, so that then she would be special. The message is supposedly about feeling special just the way you are, and there's some aspect of 'you can make yourself special and your idea of beauty', as Kiki decorating herself isn't punished or anything, but I would have loved more of that, the ability to make yourself the way you want to be (through body art, tattoos, hair dye, fashion, whatever!) is an important idea to broach with kids. What I really didn't like was her "friend's" attitude when she decorated herself. Some of them say it's nice, and Kiki just isn't pleased enough with the response, but others ignore her or insult her and that was an odd choice. If they were standoffish because they preferred the way she was, then sure. What about "I liked the way you are, but if it makes you happy, I like this too!" or something? It's an awfully short and simple book to be recommended for ages four plus, so it could have been more complex.

In this book two cat friends explore colour to make their looks/fur more fun and vibrant than their black and white.

The book teaches kids about colours and animals as they get creative with animal friends along their creative journey!

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute book about learning to love yourself. The illustrations are cute and the story is okay.

I'm conflicted about this book. Kiki, an all-white cat, feels she isn't special; she wishes she had pretty colors like her friends. She gets the idea to add color to herself with paint and colored pencils, and asks her friends what they think. Eventually, her brother, an all-black cat joins in. Ultimately, their mother tells them they're special no matter what they look like, and all is well, the end. Now, the ultimate message is good, the illustrations are sweetly drawn and pretty, and kiddos can learn some colors as they go through the story. However.....
The execution is lacking. Kiki's friends are kind of jerks, and a bit narcissistic. When she asks each friend how they like her new look (she adds a new color before asking each one), their responses are underwhelming: Ladybug says she looks okay, Butterfly straight up ignores her, Giraffe says "Pretty," but is actually talking to herself in the mirror, Frog doesn't notice anything, Peacock says "You're not as pretty as me," Pig at least says "Very nice," but Kiki isn't satisfied with that, she's gotta be "special" (she's a bit narcissistic too). Finally, she ends up with her brother, and they both get purple paint spilled all over them, then adding more colors to be even more special. They go home, and finally get the message from Mom that they're special no matter what, and get cleaned up. The story means well, it's trying to convey the message of being yourself, and that you are special, but it would've come across better if her friends had repeated that message instead of being jerks (not you, Pig, you tried to be nice at least). This made it feel like "your friends don't really care about you" instead of "your friends don't care how you look, they think you're special anyway." Maybe I'm overthinking this, I don't know.

#YouareSpecial #NetGalley

I think this book is sending mixed messages. Kiki is a white cat who does not feel special when she looks in mirror because she is not bright and colorful like all her friends. So she starts coloring herself. And so does her brother. When they go back home to mom they feel noticed and special, and as mom gives them a bath she reminds them they are special just the way they are. I know that is the message the book is trying to portray, but I think it gets lost. Every time Kiki adds a color no one really pays attention until she completely changes herself. Her brother the black cat feels the same way. When I put it to real life thinking, it makes me think of people and make up and how some just layer it on like paint to look like someone new. Or even those who darken or lighten their skin color through tanning and skin bleaching. I really wanted to like this book, and as an adult I know I am reading too much into it, but it makes me think that if I find the message mixed, how will children find it.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A story about being different from the viewpoint of a cat. Cute illustrations too.

Very cute! The illustrations are very colourful and eye catching, bonus that it’s about a cat! It’s a good way to teach colours and can sends the message to
little ones to be happy in their own skin. We are all unique and special and we do not need the approval of others!

'You are special' is a fascinating story about accepting oneself and staying confident under our own skin. It educates the children, they are very special just the way they are. We are all made beautiful, unique and equal.Trying to change ourselves and giving too much emphasis on perfectionism in order to be considered the very best is stupidity. Humans are imperfect and it cannot be altered. This realisation must get into our heart and mind. The author gives us a good message which people should pay heed diligently.

The book is about Kiki, a cat. She looks at herself in the mirror and is bored of having the same fur. Then an idea pops up. She uses pencil, ink and paint to colour her whole body. After colouring each part of her body, she asks her friends-peacock, giraffe, frog, piglet, lady bug, butterfly about her new avatar. Does her friends think she is very special now?

Kiki and her brother learn a great lesson from their mother who loves , adores and appreciates them with all her heart. Her selfless love teaches them one of the practical but important lesson. People are insecure about their physical appearance that they indulge in artificially enhancing their looks or personality in order to make their near and dear ones view them as extraordinary . There's no craziness than this. 'You are special' is a book that gives an honest feedback to children aged four and above as well as the adults. A failure or a winner, to a mother, her children are the best. Aside from colors, children will learn shapes. Kudos to the author for the wonderful book. A must read. I recommend the book to readers of all ages who would benefit to a large extent grasping the meaning of its content.

Thank you for providing me with this book.

This is a book for kids who think that they are boring. Their life is mundane. And this will bring light to them. That as you were created to be, you are special.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from Sam Loman and Clavis Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a cute book about trying to change yourself to fit in, not feeling special, and eventually appreciating that you are special. The illustrations are fun and colourful.

Young children will enjoy learning their colors with Kiki in this gently and appealingly illustrated book.  Along with learning colors, children will get a message in this book:  it is good to be exactly who you are!


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

Kiki is a beautiful, white cat. She’s absolutely adorable but doesn’t feel special like the other brightly-coloured animals she knows. More than anything, she wishes she could be colourful like her friends.

On each page, Kiki tries to add a bit of pencil, ink or paint to improve her appearance. Unfortunately, the other animals just aren’t very interested. Maybe she just isn’t special.

In the end, Kiki and her brother Goof, a mischievous black cat, turn to their mum for reassurance. She loves them and thinks they are very special – just the way they are. This book is an appealing lesson in self-confidence and loving yourself as you are - not feeling like you need to change to fit in or to please anyone else.

Young children will be drawn in by the friendly illustrations and brightly coloured pages. Thinking back to when my own children were tiny, I can imagine which pages would be their favourites and how much they would giggle along with the exploits of these playful kittens!

Thank you to Sam Loman and NetGalley for this sweet book!

I think this book will appeal more to younger kids learning colors than to older kids (4+) who are supposed to leave with a takeaway about being special.

While the illustrations were colorful and appealing, the plot didn’t do enough to emphasize how special each kid is, just the way they are.

This is a sweet book about loving your uniqueness. Kiki, an adorable white cat, looks in her mirror and decides she is plain and boring and needs some colour to make her special. After all, her friends are beautiful vibrant colours and she feels like a washout.

The lightbulb comes on and Kiki has a brilliant idea. She spots the box of coloured pencils and voilà starts her transformation into something spectular! She applies colour after beautiful colour all over her white body. She asks her friends to critique her artistic handiwork. They all seem indifferent to her creative efforts so she walks off in a huff and tumbles into some paint cans ... smack, splatter, splash! Kiki is now completely purple. Her brother Goof takes note of her drastic change and is undisturbed by it because he's purple too! Kiki then has another eureka moment about becoming special and invites him to join her. Will her brother want to become special too?

"Kiki smiles, "Look we are both purple now.
But don't you think we will be more
SPECIAL if we had lots of colors?"

Mmmmmm....think he will go for it?

The illustrations are wonderful. They have lots of detail and are kid-friendly and entertaining. This is a story for young kids to learn their colours and to discover how extraordinary they are by just by being themselves. Self-acceptance is very important and if internalized early can make life a lot happier. I recommend this book.

This book is "light" and fun. Both the story and the illustrations keep this on airy level flitting from page to page. I I read this to my three year old and she didn't seem to get what was happening without a little more discussion, but that just gave us things to discuss in both the story and how the illustrations portray the story. She wasn't a huge fan, but I thought this was well done.

Kiki, a white cat, doesn’t believe she is special enough. She paints herself with plenty of colours, then seeks the attention of her friends and their approval.
The lesson to take from the book is that we are all unique and special and we do not need approval. While the book is stunningly illustrated, the message is slightly lost within the text.

It would make for a good read aloud book while discussing the theme and ensuring children understand the key points.

Kiki is a cat who thinks her fur color is boring. She sees all the different colors that her friends have, and wants to be like them. She tries many different colors, finally settling on a rainbow of assorted colors to add to her fur. She does indeed look pretty when finished, but her fur color isn’t what makes her special, she is special just as she is.

What a sweet story for children! I love that it not only shows inclusiveness of all the different colors that her friends are, but also that her own color is just perfect for her. She is special just like her friends are, no matter what color they are.

I’m excited to add this story to our preschool curriculum, as I am really wanting to focus on inclusivity this year. Great story!

I won't lie, I came for the cute cat on the cover and the illustrations inside did not disappoint. However, the story overall is a bit weak. I thought the concept was a little strange in the way that it was told. I think this could get very confusing to children. I believe that this might have been translated to English from a different language. I am not sure I would recommend this one for anything other than the adorable illustrations.