Whether you are opening Free to Be . . . You and Me for the first time or the one hundredth time you will be engaged and transformed by this newly beautifully illustrated compilation of inspirational stories, songs, and poems. The sentiments of thirty-five years ago are as relevant today as when this book was published. Celebrating individuality and challenging stereotypes empowers both children and adults with the freedom to be who they want to be and to have compassion and empathy for others who may be different. Working closely with Marlo and co-creator Carole Hart, Peter H. Reynolds, the New York Times Best Selling Children’s Book Author/Illustrator, conjured his whimsical drawings throughout the book bringing a new sense of unity and warmth to the pages. You will find yourself marveling at the illustrations, nodding in agreement with the stories and poems, and singing the words to all the classic songs! It is wonderful that the thoughts, ideas, and emotions the creators envisioned so many years ago can still have a magical effect on children today.
A few favorite contributors include: author Judy Blume ("Superfudge", "The Pain" and "The Great One", and "Freckle Juice"); illustrator Shel Silverstein ("The Giving Tree", "Where the Sidewalk Ends"); author Kurt Vonnegut; author Drew Barrymore; author Judith Viorst ("Aleaxander and the Terrible", "Horrible", and "No Good Very Bad Day"); illustrator Tony Di Terlizzi ("The Spiderwick Chronicles"); and, author Peter Reynolds ("Someday", "Judy Moody"). National TV & Radio publicity in US will include Oprah. Hardback book + CD.
“This upbeat volume’s message remains valid, and it will be enthusiastically greeted by fans of the original (many of whom are now parents themselves) and those interested in anthologies about empowerment.” School Library Journal
Author Biography
Award winning actress Marlo Thomas burst onto the Hollywood scene and gained acclaim for her role as Ann Marie on 'That Girl', a part for which she earned a Golden Globe and four Emmy nominations. Since then, she has starred in both film and television including Ally McBeal and Law and Order: SVU. Previous Running Press edition sold 67,000 copies. Her book 'The Right Words at the Right Time' sold 250,000 copies. She lives with her husband, talk show host Phil Donahue in New York.
Critical Reviews:
Some 35 or so years on, a self-empowerment classic gets a long-overdue makeover featuring minor changes to the written content but nearly all-new art. The poems, lyrics, parables, dialogues and short stories—contributed by the likes of Shel Silverstein, Dan Greenburg, Judith Viorst and Judy Blume—are as fresh as ever, even barely (if at all) revised. They've never looked better either, thanks to new pictures from more than a dozen illustrators from Tony DiTerlizzi and David Catrow to Jerry Pinkney and Peter S's. Two entries in the original have been dropped, two (including a closing comment by Kurt Vonnegut) added, their order lightly massaged and all of the musical arrangements grouped together at the end. The result makes as persuasive an argument as ever against prescriptive sex or life roles: As Thomas writes, " ‘Should' is a small and bossy word. ‘Could' is as big and beautiful as the sky." Packaged with a CD (not heard). 
"Marlo Thomas has gathered together some of the most noted disciples of human dignity preaching today...Gloria Steinem, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Shel Silverstein, Carl Reiner and Kurt Vonnegut Jr., to name a few. they have filled the book with songs to be played on your piano or guitar, poems to be read aloud or to yourself and stories often illustrated by the crayon crowd...all with the underlying theme...you are free to be yourself." Books of the Century, The New York Times, April, 1974
