But Why Me?!  by Noga Marron

 The original Hebrew edition of But Why Me?!, which has been published so far in six reprints, has been successfully established as a proven help for young readers to enhance their self-image by pointing out that nobody is perfect and that “the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence”. Many educators are using it in workshops and via guided reading, to assist their students in coping with personal problems.

 The book contains twenty scenarios, each focusing on a different child. In these scenarios, despite the child’s personal advantages he or she is preoccupied with a certain personal difficulty, and envies the child in the following scene. In the last scenario we meet a child who aspires to be like the one in the first… With its rhyming text and lighthearted illustrations, the book succeeds in coping cheerfully with this serious subject matter.

Since 1987 Jerusalem-born Noga Marron has published a total of 32 books, mostly for grade school students and young adults. She has worked for many years as a teacher, a school principal, and board member of the Teachers’ Association of Israel. Ms Marron has a B.A. degree in literature and education from Bar-Ilan University.