Review of “The Power of Respect” by Ruth Maille

Score: 94+/100 (9.4+ out of 10)

The Power of Respect is an engaging, positive, and uplifting children's book by Ruth Maille!

It is colorfully illustrated by Ramesh Ram, a two-time Outstanding Creator Awards overall winner as an illustrator, having previously illustrated Baby Dragon's Big Sneeze by Sheryl Bass & Cora's Christmas Challenge by Sally Kashner! While The Power of Respect is probably the least awe inspiring of the three books that Ram has illustrated, that's almost like saying that one of Tom Brady's six Super Bowls is less impressive than the other five. All three of these books are stellar, leading us to conclude that just about everything Ramesh Ram touches turns to gold.

Ram has a distinctly bright, vibrant, and colorful illustration style. The characters pop from the page, almost in a 3-D way. At the same time, it's also more on the cartoonish side. While characters in Cora's Christmas Challenge were more proportional, the characters in this book are a bit more like caricatures. Think the Power Puff Girls: big heads, big eyes, and small bodies.

This book had a relatively rough start with Orbit, a personification of the Earth, visiting the home of Amella and Eleanor, based on two actual ten-year-olds who were once the author's preschool students. Early on, we're told that Orbit has two band-aids on his head because of how wounded and hurt he was in 2020, presumably with 2020 and all the socio-political drama/infighting.

So, we were already bracing ourselves for a socio-political tirade of sorts, which we would assume would be something about climate change, global warming, and pollution. We've read our share of those. But, boy were we wrong! This book ended up being about a lot more than that.

At its core, this is a book about RESPECT.
And respect comes in many ways and in many forms.
We show it in different ways and in many forms.

There are different kinds of respect: general respect for others, respect for parents, respect for friends, respect for brothers & sisters (siblings), respect for your community, respect for your country, respect for the planet, and much more!

This book actually does a phenomenal job at displaying and demonstrating this in a way that's simple and digestible for young kids!

It teaches kids that they can show respect for their friends, siblings, and loved ones by attending their events, cheering for them, supporting them, and showing interest in the things they are passionate about (like singing).

They can show respect for others by respecting their personal space and boundaries. That means that pressing them on issues that trigger them or make them feel uncomfortable. That means being considerate when they need space and want to be left alone.

Respect can be shown by listening to others rather than always insisting on being the one talking.

Respect can be demonstrated by being considerate and putting yourself in someone else's shoes, even someone who annoys you. For example, a little sister who makes noise and acts goofy might have something in common with you: they may just want to be heard, cared about, and have attention too. They may just want to be included. Don't we all?

Respect includes self-respect. A self-respecting person takes care of their body instead of doing things that abuse or neglect it. Self-respect includes getting good exercise, rest/sleep, food, and me-time.

Respect includes respecting our community and the world we live in. A person who respects their community and their world doesn't litter or pollute.

This book emphasizes kindness, support, and understanding. The story is interactive, offering activities like the "Self-Esteem Freeze Dance" and a creative "Toothpaste squirt" activity, which serve as metaphors to demonstrate the difficulty of taking back disrespectful actions or words.

This is such a good book, teaching macro concepts in a way that kids can understand!

Check it out on Amazon!