The Wonderful Things You Will Be

The wealth of possibilities contained within even the tiniest child is the subject of Martin's (Day Dreamers) love letter from parent to offspring: "When you were too small/ To tell me hello, / I knew you were someone/ I wanted to know." This potential can be seen in everything children do, from working in a garden ("Will you learn what it means/ To help things to grow?") to bandaging a toy bear. The book concludes with a double gatefold, drawn as a proscenium-style curtain, that reveals a group of eccentrically costumed children (a robot, a pencil, a log) to represent the idea of becoming "anybody/ That you'd like to be." Martin's characters generally exhibit a preternatural sense of self-possession, but this book's subject matter adds another layer of meaning to the poised poker faces on display. Her children are so serious (even when swinging on a swing) and so unflappable (even when tailoring a pair of pants for a squirrel) that they convey not just hope for the future, but a sense of manifest destiny. Ages 3-7. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Aug.)

PreS--Childhood is a time full of potential, and Martin celebrates this promise in this work. The general premise of Dr. Seuss's classic, Oh, The Places You'll Go is pared down to elegant simplicity. "Will you stand up for good/By saving the day?/Or play a song only you/Know how to play?" While the rhyming text falters a bit in spots, the word choice overall is spare, inspiring, and accessible to preschoolers. Children are encouraged to be kind, clever, and bold, to take care of the small, and to help things grow. Martin's oil paintings have the same retro, mid-century feel as her other illustrations, with large-eyed children of many ethnicities playing, gardening, and sharing together. VERDICT A go-to gift for new parents, and a potential bedtime favorite for many children.--Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC