Book Review - Me: A Compendium

Me: A Compendium by Wee Society is beautifully designed fill in journal for kids.  The book is designed for children to read and to write and illustrate about themselves with prompts to guide them in right direction.  

When I first received the book the cover instantly got me interested, a cute drawing of a child with all of their thoughts floating in their brains.  I imagine the inside of my daughter’s head looks like the same way.  Each page of the book continues with similarly styled artwork.  The graphic design is chunky and bold with easy to read fonts that are perfect for children to read on their own.  The colors are mostly primary colors but not in a kiddish way, it has a retro european design element to it.  Overall the graphical presentation is perfect and inviting for a child.

To me this book represents the next step after a baby book.  We all fill out the baby books for our kids first years then we collect a hodge podge of items for the rest of their life.  Me captures your kids life in some of those in between years.  I’d say that this book is targeted to 2nd-4th graders depending on your child.  The great thing about this book is that it’s not just a collection of activities to get your kid to do things that they normally wouldn’t (I love those types of journals too!) but instead it’s a journal that collects their thoughts and feelings, likes and dislikes and allows you to see their perspective better.  It’s a time capsule for their mind.  It’s lovely for parents to look at and learn now and it will be fun for parents and children to look at as the years go by.

The prompts are simple yet thoughtful, with pages like “The best part about school ____” and “What I wish was inside my fridge.”  There’s even a secret page for the kids to write some things they are super excited about.  

When I handed this book to my 8 year old daughter she got very excited by its visual appeal and excitedly flipped through the pages.  Then she disappeared into the backyard with her bucket of pens, pencils, crayons and markers.  I flipped through the pages that night and saw she had completed a few pages.  I get the feeling that she will come back to throughout the year and fill out whatever section feels interesting that day.

Overall, I really enjoy this book as a parent and can tell that my 8 year old daughter really enjoys it as well.  The solid hardcover binding makes me think that it will last for years to come and will be fun to look at through the years as my daughter gets older.  I recommend this book for 2nd-4th graders who like to write and be creative and to parents that are looking for a personalized keepsake for their children that captures memories from some in between years.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.