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I was born in a small Austrian town in 1967, but moved to an even smaller village when I was seven. As I could never acquire a taste for living in a remote, rural area, I was thrilled when my father was offered a job in the United Arab Emirates. At the age of 11 I traveled abroad for the first time in my life, and it was then that the adventure began. My childhood and teenage years, in which I called different countries such as Austria, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka and the United States of America my home, were exciting, interesting, but also demanding. After attending 6 different schools in 12 years I graduated from high school, enrolled in an Austrian law school, sang in a band, taught German to immigrants, spent lots of time abroad visiting my parents in Sri Lanka and my brother in Washington, D.C., and was lucky to meet my future husband. Having obtained my master’s degree I worked as a lawyer for a few years, gave birth to two wonderful children and started teaching. In 2012 my family and I emigrated to the United Arab Emirates and have lived in this amazing country since then. Currently, I teach police cadets at the local police academy, spend as much time as possible with my family and find the ideal circumstances to indulge in my passion for writing.
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
A Boy Like You and Me is a children’s picture book written by Eva Maria Schwarz-Pretner and illustrated by Fatima Aldarmaki. The boy in this story was just a normal everyday kid. He had brown hair and eyes, and he liked to smile a lot. Like most kids, he liked sweets and didn’t listen to his mom as much as he should. One day, however, he had the most extraordinary set of adventures. It all started when he went to the movies. As it often happens, he ended up sitting behind a large lady and couldn’t see the screen. He wished he had a long neck like the giraffe he liked to visit at the zoo -- and it happened! His neck grew longer and longer until he could clearly see the movie. After he left the cinema, he thought about going to the park to play ball. He got bored waiting for the bus, and he began to think, what if he had wings like a butterfly? And then, that happened! He sprouted huge wings that had him airborne and flying right to the park. It seemed like everything he wished for came true. How could that be? But when it was time to come home again, he began to wish that he could just be regular, old him again. Would his last wish come true?
A Boy Like You and Me is an enchanting fable about a boy who transforms himself in some pretty delightful and useful ways. He lengthens his neck, sprouts wings and fins, and even gets a warm furry exterior to cope with cold weather. It’s great fun while he’s out, but when he comes home, he just wants to be himself again. Schwarz-Pretner’s fable teaches kids to be happy and comfortable in their own skins and lets them know that they’re brilliant and loved just as they are. Fatima Aldarmaki’s watercolor illustrations are fabulous! Many panels are suitable for framing and decorating a child’s bedroom walls. Her use of color makes the boy’s transformations dynamic and seem to burst from the page. You can feel his excitement as he flies and his delight as he discovers his hands and feet have become fins. The picture showing him peering through the window at his mother is hilarious and is guaranteed to earn giggles from caregivers and kids alike. A Boy Like You and Me is most highly recommended.
