Editor's Note:

"Read ten thousand books,MK sports Korea and your pen will be guided as if by the gods" is an ancient Chinese idiom that can be seen in students' textbooks. China's Ministry of Education has published an action plan to further promote reading among students across the nation. With new and diverse book recommendations, the reading scene is expected to be revived not only at schools, but also across society. To contribute to this endeavor, the Global Times launched "My Reading Life" essay contest for middle school students.

Please pick up a pen and share your stories with us at reading@globaltimes.com.cn

Participants will be rewarded once the article has been selected.

Photo: IC

In 2017, I visited my cousin and asked her to recommend me the book that she liked the most. I remember she walked me through some novels in different genres such as sci-fi, adventure and history on her bookshelf. 

I borrowed a few of them to read, but none of them has touched me as much as a picture book that was covered in dust and left in the corner of her bookshelf. That book was called I Like Me!. My cousin said it was too "childish" and "too simple" for my reading level. The picture book was indeed created for children, but the more I read it, the more I found its story was of depth and emotional education value. 

Real story 

I Like Me!follows a cheerful and confident little pig who celebrates everything about herself. From her curly tail to her big feet, she loves every part of herself. It might sound like the pig character was depicted with a certain level of narcissism, but when finishing reading the book, I realized that the pig does not just love herself, but loves who she is. 

In the book, I remember that the pig enthusiastically declares that no matter what she does, even if she's making mistakes, being silly, or being a clumsy rookie of trying something new, she will always like herself. 

Much of the character's seemly blind confidence puzzled me at first since I was taught to be humble and always encouraged to learn from and reflect on my mistakes. I couldn't see why the little character could excuse herself from correcting herself until I tried to act like her in real life one time. 

One day, I was practicing a music piece for the piano. I repetitively made mistakes on a few notes and those mistakes started to make me fear that I was incapable of performing the piece. I tried hard to remember the wrong notes and to concentrate on those lyrical "traps" that made me stumble, but after everything, I still played incorrectly and my mind became even more tangled with self-blame and anger. 

The pig character popped into my mind in a moment of disbelief. I started playing again, and told myself, "Yes, I played wrong again, but that is okay." I accepted those deviated notes and started to embrace them as my own recreations of the music piece. All of a sudden, I realized that mistakes can also be creative and playful. 

"I like me," I murmured, and I said to myself, "I'm a born pianist with the talent of recreating imperfection." 

More to discover 

Learning from the book's character diluted my agony and made me see the children's book was not just a simple fairy tale. I started to love the book more, and spent more time thinking about its content. 

The more I read, the more I discovered that the book actually emphasizes that self-love is not depend on external validation. The book teaches young people like me about the importance of appreciating our qualities and embracing who we are. 

However, in my opinion, developing trust in oneself is an extremely difficult journey. An individual won't be able to understand herself or himself fully without comments provided by related collective groups such as school, family and even society. However, people's opinions can never replace one's own judgment of him- or herself since how these opinions are made are largely based on generalized standards derived from an examination of one's complex humanity. 

The paradox to me was unable to be solved until I read the book, and I grasped the idea that prior to taking in anyone's opinions, I should establish myself as a being who is meant to be different. In other words, I want to express the idea that a person who understands her- or himself fully - both their strengths and weaknesses - is never going to be shaken by people. I guess it is the reason why the pig in the book is never frustrated by her big ears or feet, because she knows these features are all parts that make her.

I loved reading the book again and again not only for its thought-provoking content, but also because of the writer/illustrator Nancy Carlson's art style. 

Illustrations in the book are bright, colorful and the facial expressions of the characters are depicted nicely, delivering vivid emotions to the reader. I think the illustrator perfectly captured the spirit of the story. 

The book is recommended for readers age 3 to 10, but I think the book is for both children and adults. Its timeless message resonates with people of all ages, nurturing people's social-emotional skills. 

Born in the US, Nancy Carlson is one of the most established children's book creators, often featuring animals and anthropomorphic characters in her stories. These whimsical and expressive drawings bring her stories to life, making them both visually appealing and emotionally impactful.

She has also published another book that I love very much. It is called How to Lose All Your Friends. 

It is a humorous book that teaches people about the importance of kindness, generosity and positivity. Harriet's Recitalwas also great, and I loved the character Harriet, a dog character that has appeared in many of the writer's books. 

The author is a student at Beijing Fengtai Xinbeifu School