This is a cute ABC book that takes some traits that others may call us in a negative manner and helps to put a positive spin on them. The illustrations in this book were eye catching and the colors were bright. It really seemed to capture the attention of my little one!

Amazing illustrations! My daughter loved finding things on each page and she loved the big letters. Definitely would buy this for her as she is learning the alphabet!!

These ABCs Belong to Me! by Alicia McKenzie and illustrated by Sarah Demonteverde, is a wonderful alphabet book that takes what are widely considered to be negative personal attributes in children and turns them into positives instead.
McKenzie deftly takes various character traits commonly criticized - such as being bossy, nosy, or quiet - and turns them on their heads, illustrating alongside stunningly colourful pictures by Demonteverde how children can turn those traits into positive actions. While some of the instances in this alphabet of turning negative to positive traits are a bit of a stretch, the general idea is an intriguing one. To add to the lessons, the children depicted in the illustrations are from diverse groups as well, always a plus in a picture book.
The book features lessons that many adults could do well to learn, and this book is sure to be a treasured one on the bookshelves of many families when it is released.
I'm happy to have had a chance to read the advance readers' copy of #TheseABCsBelongtoMe courtesy of #NetGalley.

🌈A big thank you to Alicia McKenzie, The Collective Book Studio and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and take a look at These ABCs Belong to Me!, a children’s picture book. I will share my review to Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble upon release!

🌈These ABCs Belong to Me! Is a wonderful children’s picture book focused on the ABCs of how others may describe us - and how we can choose to take the positive out of the words, even if they don’t necessarily feel positive. Children can hear a lot of words used to describe them and their behavior without knowing exactly what those words mean, and this book could help kids to break down their thoughts and feelings into a more helpful and positive outlook. I liked the illustrations, the words chosen, and the note at the back of the book that reminds us that we get to write our own stories, and that our self-talk is critical to success. Growing up with ADHD, I often heard a lot of these words about me. Messy, forgetful, chaotic, loud, etc. Those words may not have felt as negative if I knew at the time that those qualities were not always negative. I think this book holds a powerful message that kids of all ages and backgrounds will appreciate. Would definitely recommend to any school or class library, as well as home library!

🌈Perfect for ages 2-6 or so.

Major themes/tropes:

- alphabet
- vocabulary expansion
- diverse characters
- acceptance & belonging
- affirmations & self confidence

5/5 stars!

The idea of transforming stigmatizing labels into superpowers is psychologically sound and could be genuinely life-changing for young readers. Teaching children to reclaim their narrative early could prevent years of shame and self-doubt. This type of positive psychology approach, when done well, plants seeds of resilience that last a lifetime.

This is one of the best children’s emotion books that I have ever read! It takes those descriptions of children that are many times used as a negative and helps kids to understand that they are also positives!

Inspired by a parent's journey and growth with an impetus to help guide youngsters to grow up confident and able to face themselves and any challenges, this alphabet rhymes its way with encouraging words and illustrations.
The illustrations by Sarah DeMonteverde are simple, brightly colorful, imaginative and FUN. Well suited for reading alone or WITH someone of any age, including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school, waiting room, or your local public library!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital Galley on Thorium PDF from The Collective Book Studio via NetGalley. Pub Date Sep 30, 2025 *****review
#TheseABCsBelongtoMe by Alicia McKenzie and @ilandtuitles @thecollectivebookstudio #NetGalley @ibpalovesindies
#kidlit #kidsbookstagram #kidsbooks #childrensbooks #bookstagram #booksforkids #picturebook @childrensbookcouncil @goodreads #picturebookart #illustration #wordscanempower

These ABCs Belong to Me! by Alicia McKenzie, illustrated by Sarah Demonteverde, is a picture book that uses the alphabet to promote self-identity. For example, letter F focuses on appearance and suggests good grooming habits. However, the book's examples might be difficult for young children to grasp and could send mixed messages. The core message of the book is positive but not clearly explained until the end. This book may be more suitable for an older child who is already dealing with the relevant issues. Each page may need to be explained to avoid confusing the child.
Sarah Demonteverde’s illustrations are vibrant and varied, depicting children from different backgrounds with enthusiasm. The artwork is lively, but some pages may seem crowded for younger readers. This book would be best for ages 5-8, particularly for classroom discussions on self-esteem or parents encouraging positive self-talk. Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced ARC. I would rate this book 3/5.

These ABCs Belong to Me! teaches kids to take back the power of negative words that may be directed towards them. Each word has a little rhyme written about it and an accompanying illustration. The illustrations really capture the meaning or feeling of each word. The author, Alicia McKenzie, is a mother of 5 and she was inspired to write the book by her children's various personality traits. I think this will be great for elementary school children who are trying to learn about their feelings.
I was provided with a free copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really liked the idea of this book and I think the author's word choices were great! I've never read another ABC book quite like this one, and I deeply appreciated this book's uniqueness.
However, I do still have two critiques to make.
1. The title doesn't exactly match the book. I can definitely see where the author was going with this, but it is a bit misleading. It comes off as an angry child yelling about which toys are theirs, if that makes sense.
2. I felt like the cohesion of this book was a bit spotty. Various ideas connected at one point in the book, but then that kind of went out the window a few pages later. I believe that what would be beneficial here is making the central theme of the book blatantly clear. This is a book intended for a younger audience, and it's important to make sure that everything makes sense and that the points get across.

Other than those two things, though, I enjoyed reading this book and, with a few small edits, I think a lot of other readers will as well.

What a fun and unique way to teach the ABC's. When introducing letters and sounds to my child, I try to expand to vocabulary outside and this book is a great way to help do that. Not only is it helping to introduce letters, but feelings and emotions as well. I highly recommend adding this book to shelfs for young kiddos!

This book was very interesting- I like the idea of it- taking words that typically have negative connotations and putting a positive spin on them. Still some are interesting words for children to understand fully so beware your audience. Great book and illustrations and would recommend for children of the correct age

This was a really good read. I liked that it was different. Usually when I see children's books that are titled with "ABC'S", it would usually say something like "A is for apple, B is for ball, C is for Cat....." and so on. Simple words. This book was different. Geared more towards reality and explanations of why. It was refreshing.

Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book. As a kid who was called bossy and a know-it-all (although often in jest) enough to make me shy and quiet as a teen, I think rebranding these terms in a positive light to help children feel more confident in their own assertiveness. Having an A-Z meant that so many often used negatively terms are able to be made better and show just how positive these words can actually be in the right context. Hopefully this can help the next generation from becoming more shy and withdrawn than those before them were by the negative use of such words.

Favourite Quote:
“While I have no control over the words that are spoken I'm shaping a new narrative and will not feel broken. I'll remember that our words can build us up and empower So, plant a seed of good vibes and watch them flower.”

This alphabet book has stunning illustrations and beautiful descriptions on each page. My students and my own children will enjoy reading this book over and over. Each letter represents a different aspect of personality- kids will be able to identify their own traits as well as others in this expressive text.

These ABCs Belong to Me is a wonderful addition to my "all about me" unit. This will foster all kinds of wonderful conversation about our differences and help explain some of our personality traits. I appreciate how the author pointed out the positive attributes of some words people hear about their behavior. Typically those words are said in a negative voice but this book shows the opposite.

A powerful and hopefully helpful way to flip the 'negative' adjectives that a child may be called. Bossy, obnoxious, timid, the list goes on of words that might stick in a child's mind and shape the way they feel about themselves. As the author writes in their end notes, this book is a way of flipping that script. With each letter of the alphabet, a new 'negative' word is transformed into a more positive thought: 'lazy' becomes restorative, 'explosive' becomes deeply emotional, 'picky' becomes discerning, etc.

I think this will be helpful for children learning about not just themselves, but others as well. 'Negative' traits they may see in a friend can be reinterpreted here to help them better understand others.

While the rhyming sometimes feels a bit off (as many kids' books do), I have to say that the illustrations are bright, vibrant, and engaging! Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

*These ABCs Belong to Me!* by Alicia McKenzie is a puzzling and ultimately disappointing picture book. While the illustrations are visually appealing and show care in their design, the book’s overall message and structure are deeply flawed. Many pages use white text on very light backgrounds, making them hard to read. More importantly, the tone throughout is overwhelmingly negative. Each letter of the alphabet is tied to words with harsh or discouraging connotations, creating a long string of negative messages that fill nearly the entire book.

The intended message seems to be that we can choose how we define ourselves, regardless of what others say. However, this theme is only addressed on the final page, and by then it feels like too little, too late. After spending the vast majority of the book reinforcing negative labels, one page of vague encouragement does not feel adequate or convincing. I worry that young readers could absorb the negativity without fully grasping the intended lesson. This book is unlikely to be revisited and is difficult to recommend. I would rate it 1 out of 5 stars. I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and The Collective Book Studio.

This book is phenomenal! Such a fun, important message with vibrant, inclusive illustrations throughout. I love that Alicia took words like extra, bossy, and timid and flipped the script! She decided to teach her kids that people don’t get to define you. YOU define you. Your loved ones define you. Someone can call you extra but guess what? “More is better than not enough!” 🫶🏼 I LOVE THAT!!! It’s our job as parents to make sure our kids love themselves and that they learn resiliency and this book has that in spades!!! Being able to teach this to your own children and then share it with the world? Alicia, that is your SUPERPOWER! 💪🏼 Teaching kids the power of positive thinking is everything.

Thank you so much to author Alicia McKenzie for sharing your superpower with us! Thank you to NetGalley and The Collective Book Studio for the ARC copy for my review!

This is a children's books that highlights many words we use everyday to describe others, children especially. These words are often stigmatized and seen as negative. This books takes these words and makes them positive and powerful, giving them a new perspective that doesn't seem like a bad thing! It provides openness and acceptance for being described as "bossy" or "extra" and shows how these can be positive and that when they may get to a point where these qualities are negative and hurting others it is not spiteful and that we can be these things and be open for feedback from others and that is ok. I would definitely give this book to friends with children and buy it for my own children one day!