The Way I Act

A companion to Cain's award-winning The Way I Feel, The Way I Act uses detailed illustrations, type faces and vivid color to complement the simple verses that explain character traits like compassion and bravery. With verses created by Metzger, The Way I Act follows the pattern established by The Way I Feel, introducing a wide variety of character traits, including some not usually attributed to young children. Metzger's carefully crafted text is sensitive and free of bias and slang. Together with Cain's sometimes zany characters, The Way I Act shows scenes that kids can identify with—peering at bugs with a magnifying glass, finishing a puzzle, sweeping up a mess. The text also cites examples that define words such as curious, responsible, persistent, and capable. As Metzger points out, the scenarios on each two-page spread let kids imagine how they might act in all these situations. Chicago-based Cain made her debut with The Way I Feel, now available in Spanish as Así me siento yo, and as a board book. In print: almost 1.5 million copies. Metzger, an executive with Scholastic Inc., has written more than 60 books for preschoolers, most published by Scholastic.