Review:
Although written for children, You are Special can be used to address conditions of worth experienced by not only children but also adolescents and adults in today’s society. The story unfolds in a make believe world inhabited by puppets called Wemmicks. These puppets mirror the real world with their various physical appearances of chipped wood to gleaming paint. Each puppet is unique, with some displaying simplistic, yet fantastic talents such as jumping over boxes or knowing big words. The story paradoxically portrays our own society’s value system through the puppets’ sole life task being to dole out stars to pretty and talented Wemmicks or grey dots to those deemed without talent or scared. The story deepens when a discouraged, dot-covered Wemmick meets an amazingly carefree, dot-free and star-free Wemmick. This Wemmick introduces the shamed Wemmick to the maker and explains the secret that can free him from the shameful dots.