You Are Special (Tenth Anniversary Limited Edition) (Max Lucado's Wemmicks)
by Max Lucado
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Book Summary Information
Author: Max LucadoBrand: Spring Arbor/Ingram
Reader: Max Lucado
Illustrator: Sergio Martinez
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-08-17
ISBN: 1581348940
Number of pages: 32
Publisher: Crossway Books
Book Reviews of You Are Special (Tenth Anniversary Limited Edition) (Max Lucado's Wemmicks)
Book Review: This Book is Special
Summary: 5 Stars
Every child wonders whether or not he or she is special. It's all well and good when your parents think you are--but what about the other children on the playground? On the bus? At soccer practice? Are you still special even if they don't think you are? Would others accept you more if you acted like somebody else? These questions go through every child's mind as they grow up and struggle with self-esteem. The children's book You Are Special, written by Max Lucado and beautifully illustrated by Sergio Martinez, tells children why they are special--just the way they are. Through the use of lovable characters, spiritual truths, and easy-to-understand metaphors, children will come to understand the true divine nature of themselves and just how special they are.
The book begins by introducing us to the Wemmicks, a wooden people of all shapes and sizes. From the first page the child is drawn in by the Wemmicks. Their town is depicted as cobble-paved and medieval, with all the silly-looking Wemmicks bustling to and fro as if they have extremely busy lives. A child could stare at the first page forever--laughing at the absurdity of the Wemmick's shapes and sizes, their funny noses and disproportionate chins and smiles. The book goes on to explain their system of "stars" and "dots". The Wemmicks put stickers shaped like stars on those who are talented or pretty looking. They stick ugly dots on the ones whose paint is chipped or who seem ordinary and un-talented. This image of bright yellow stars and dreary dots as social labels makes perfect sense to children . Stars are obviously more favorable--and associated with "put-ups" or being "popular". The dots are associated with "put-downs" and are obviously a sign of unpopularity. Any child would automatically place himself or herself in a "star" or a "dot" category based on how good they feel about themselves. But whether or not others think you are popular is not the point of life, as the child will learn along with a Wemmick named Punchinello.
Punchinello is introduced as a Wemmick with no special looks or talents. He has a short stocky body, a big crooked nose, and big round eyes. Punchinello appeals to children because his name, body, and face are all funny looking. But Punchinello is not appealing to the other Wemmicks. He receives gray dots for shallow reasons, like not being able to sing or jump over tall boxes. And because he has a lot of gray dots, he receives more gray dots! Children recognize the unfairness of the Wemmick's system, and they side with Punchinello and feel bad for him as he struggles with his self-esteem. Punchinello decides he is "not a good Wemmick," because of what all the other Wemmicks think of him. Almost all children can relate to feeling this way--basing your worth on what others think about you. And almost all children have ended up with feelings of worthlessness and despair as they do this. A picture of Punchinello kicking a can by himself illustrates the feeling of loneliness the text demands.
But things get better. Punchinello meets Lucia--a bright Wemmick who has no dots or stars. They simply don't stick to her! Punchinello recognizes her as someone different and good--someone who is confident with who she is--no matter what others think of her. Children can recognize confidence in people just as Punchinello does in Lucia--and both Punchinello and children yearn for this self-confidence that seems so mysterious and out of reach. Lucia instructs Punchinello to visit Eli, the woodcarver who lives on the hill, to find out how to get rid of his stickers. At this point in the book the sadness Punchinello and the audience have been feeling turns to hope. Will Eli really have the answer? Finally he gathers up his courage and goes to see Eli. This is a direct metaphor for those who are lost and seek the Lord through prayer. Children who grew up in Christian families will recognize Eli as a metaphor for God.
Punchinello walks into the woodworker's shop. He is describes as having to "stretch on tiptoe to see the top of the workbench." Kids relate to this because they are used to the feeling of being dwarfed by drinking fountains, counters, and other "big people" things. The child becomes Punchinello in this scene--feeling all his feelings of hope, fear, and insignificance before the Creator.
Eli calls to Punchinello in a fatherly voice. "How good to see you. Come--let me have a look at you," he says.
"You know my name?" Punchinello asks.
"Of course. I made you," Eli says, picking up Punchinello and setting him on the workbench. Eli's appearance is like a younger Father Christmas--appealing to children in every way. Just from the pictures children know they can trust Eli. Eli then assures Punchinello that He doesn't care in the least what the other Wemmicks think--and that He doesn't care about how many dots he has received.
"All that matters is what I think. And I think you are pretty special." He then goes on to explain the stickers not being able to stick on Lucia: "The stickers only stick if you let them...the more you trust my love, the less you care about their stickers."
This statement of truth is simple, yet striking. As children begin to realize that what God thinks is the only thing that matters, their self-esteem grows and, just like Punchinello, they might just stop caring about the labels others have stuck to them. When this happens, they are ready to have self-confindence.
The book ends with Eli saying goodbye to Punchinello, with an invitation for him to return as soon as he can. "Remember, you are special because I made you. And I don't make mistakes." As Punchinello walks out the door one gray dot falls to the floor. Punchinello learns an important lesson on self-esteem and his divine worth, but it is a lesson that must be re-learned until you know it by heart. That is why "You Are Special" is so often a favorite of children, they never tire of hearing its beautiful message, told with the aid of the Wemmicks and their stickers, Punchinello, and the truths we all knew and must know again.
Summary of You Are Special (Tenth Anniversary Limited Edition) (Max Lucado's Wemmicks)
In You Are Special, Max Lucado tells the story ofPunchinello, the wooden Wemmick who believes that he isn't goodenough because of what others say about him. When will Punchinellorealize how truly special he is?
You Are Special is a beautiful story that reminds usthat we are precious to God just the way we are. It is throughspending daily time with him that we begin to see ourselves throughhis eyes. This is an important truth that children and parents needto know: God loves us even though we make mistakes and haveflaws!
This best-seller has sold millions of copies and is nowavailable in a limited, ten-year anniversary edition. Theaccompanying CD includes a special reading of the story by MaxLucado and music by Christian artist Phil Keaggy.
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