I Like, I Don’t Like by Anna Baccelliere, Ale + Ale, Illustrator

There was a skit on Saturday Night Live a while back of whiny critics of the then-newly-released iPhone 5 facing the Chinese “peasant workers” who had manufactured them. The complaints suddenly appeared not only whimsical but downright misanthropic as the privileged iPhone owners listened to the working and living conditions of the people who had created their toys. It was an adroit commentary on First World entitlement.

Likewise, this book draws a stark contrast between the consumer (I like phones, for example) and the laborer (I don’t like phones), but in a very gentle way. The premise is simple but provocative: On the left of each page is a child enjoying something (rice, a comfortable rug, Legos), and on the right are shown children actually manufacturing or producing those goods.The illustrations are impeccable, integrating real photographs of children’s faces into the artwork in order to accentuate the sobering effects of child labor. The illustrator is careful not to make racial generalizations throughout, but emphasizes class differences instead. The final contrast about children playing is especially poignant.

I Like, I Don’t Like is aimed at pre-readers through third graders. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers is publishing it (28 pages) in March.

 

 

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