Aspirited young child is proud to be a girl—even if everyone mistakes her for a boy.

Even though girls are supposed to be made of sugar and spice, Ismail’s spunky protagonist is not. She makes a mess when she eats. She rides so fast on her scooter that when it hits a bump, she’s sent flying through the air. Because of her exuberant personality, adults refer to her as “sonny” and “young man.” To which she proudly responds, “I’m a girl!” She refuses to change who she is based on others’ expectations of how a girl should behave. Her strong self-confidence pushes aside frustration to celebrate being a girl, and she makes a new friend who is just as proud to be a boy. Young readers will giggle over the protagonist’s misadventures. Most importantly, readers will relate to her belief that there is “no right or wrong way to play when you play ‘pretend.’ ” Ismail even sneaks in the message that it’s OK for boys to play with dolls. Ismail’s lively watercolors pop against the minimalist backgrounds, capturing her narrator’s energy. She depicts her protagonist as a donkey, surrounding her with a truly diverse cast of anthropomorphic animals.

A rallying cry to be enthusiastically true to oneself . (Picture book. 2-5)

一个活泼的小孩以自己是女孩为荣——即使每个人都把她误认为是男孩。

尽管女孩应该是由糖和香料制成的，但伊斯梅尔勇敢的主角却不是。她吃饭时弄得一团糟。她骑滑板车的速度如此之快，以至于当它撞到一个颠簸时，她就会飞到空中。由于她旺盛的个性，成年人称她为“儿子”和“年轻人”。她自豪地回应说：“我是女孩！” 她拒绝根据别人对女孩应该如何表现的期望来改变自己。她强烈的自信将挫败感推到一边，庆祝自己是个女孩，她结交了一个新朋友，也为自己是个男孩而感到自豪。年轻的读者会为主角的不幸遭遇傻笑。最重要的是，读者会与她的信念相关，即“当你玩‘假装’时，没有正确或错误的游戏方式。” Ismail 甚至偷偷说男孩玩洋娃娃是可以的。伊斯梅尔生动的水彩画在极简主义的背景下流行，捕捉了叙述者的能量。她将她的主人公描绘成一头驴，周围环绕着一群真正多样化的拟人化动物。

热情地忠于自己的口号。（绘本。2-5）

Yasmeen Ismail 出生于爱尔兰，居住在布里斯托尔，是一位屡获殊荣的作家、插画家和动画师。Yasmeen 在她的家乡都柏林的艺术学校学习。毕业后，Yasmeen 搬到了伦敦，在那里她参与了许多不同的项目，从广告和短片到儿童出版。 

在搬到伦敦并经营一家成功的动画制作公司并在其中担任过不同的职务（导演、设计师、动画师、制片人、编剧）后，Yasmeen 发现自己正在写作和绘制图画书。根据她在剧本和故事板方面的经验，她熟悉编写叙事和使用故事情节，尤其熟悉编辑作品和在界限内创造性地写作。反过来，由于她的动画背景，她的插图明亮、流畅、充满活力和动感。她热爱水彩、墨水和颜料，并正在转向各种其他媒介。Yasmeen 喜欢在她工作的各个领域进行实验和扩展，并不断尝试新的方法来改进她的写作和绘画。 

她很想逗你笑，玩得开心，享受她的书。她非常努力地使她的书在故事、散文、艺术作品和幽默的各个层面都能很好地发挥作用。

她现在和她的丈夫、他们的儿子和猫贝蒂住在布里斯托尔。

Art of the Picture Book

Bookseller – The Apprentice

BookTrust – Interview

Bristol 24/7

The Guardian – How To Be a Girl

The Irish Times – How to Draw Out Children’s Emotions

The Irish Times – Girl Power

The Irish Times – Doors Are Closed on Girls

The Irish Times – Reading Between the Lies