Hi! It’s Emily from Is This Really My Life. I’m super excited to be participating in Bettijo’s Books Alive series again this summer. Last time I shared one of my favorite Elephant & Piggie books along with a recipe for salted caramel swirl pecan ice cream. Mmm…now I want ice cream…
This year I had a hard time choosing a book because we are avid book readers in our home and our bookshelves are crammed with favorites. But a few children’s books stand out thanks to engaging illustrations and powerful messages. I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont is definitely one of them.

Don’t let the crazy cute illustrations and simple verse fool you—this book teaches one of the most important lessons of all: liking yourself just the way you are.
One of my favorite sections reads:
Inside, outside, upside down,
from head to toe and all around,
I like it all! It all is me!
And me is all I want to be.
And I don’t care in any way
what someone else may think or say.
Can I get an AMEN? Though written for children, I feel like this book is applicable to grownups as well.


One of the best illustrations features the main character with “purple polka-dotted lips.” That was the inspiration for the recipe I’m sharing today: purple polka-dotted cream cheese sugar cookies.


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