You and Me, Anemone: A Story about Friendship and Personal Space

"Don't boop this book away! Embrace this lively, creative look at asserting one's boundaries." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"The clever art is an ideal partner to highly readable, percussive text that emphasizes the harmony that can arise from respecting others' spaces and needs." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A lyrical lesson on personal boundaries with illustrations guaranteed to help enhance young readers' vocabularies and imaginations." --School Library Journal (starred review)

Bestselling author Rachel Vail and multiple Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka shine a spotlight on the importance of personal space in this SEL standout that also celebrates the ocean and sea life. Includes back matter.

Don't want to be booped? No problem! A sea anemone in the ocean confidently sets itself some personal boundaries, encouraging young readers on land to do the same.

You and Me, Anemone is a nuanced, thoughtful, playful picture book for young children about the delicate challenge of boundaries--having them, maintaining them, and respecting them in others. The playful, rhythmic, interactive text by award-winning author Rachel Vail pairs the science of sea life with social-emotional learning for terrific classroom potential. Two-time Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka's illustrations--created by painting and stitching on burlap--are a visual and emotional showstopper with a ton of kid appeal. Back matter includes an author's note and facts about the incredible sea anemone.

Rachel Vail is the award-winning author of the critically acclaimed novels If We Kiss and Lucky, Gorgeous, and Brilliant (the Avery sisters trilogy) and more than a dozen other novels for young teens, including the Friendship Ring series. She has also written many beloved picture books, including Piggy Bunny and Sometimes I'm Bombaloo, and two hit novels for elementary school kids, Justin Case: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters and Justin Case: Shells, Smells, and the Horrible Flip-Flops of Doom. The author lives in New York City with her husband and their two sons.

Chris Raschka is the creator of many distinguished and award-winning books for children. He has received two Caldecott Medals--one for The Hello, Goodbye Window, written by Norton Juster, and one for his own A Ball for Daisy. He also received a Caldecott Honor for Yo! Yes? Chris Raschka was the US nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2012 and 2016 and has been awarded a New York Times Best Illustrated Book citation seven times. He lives in New York City with his family.