cover image What Will You Be?

What Will You Be?

Yamile Saied Méndez, illus. by Kate Alizadeh. HarperCollins, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-283995-4

Astronaut, unicorn, and clown are a brown-skinned child’s choices for what to be as an adult. But when a group of friends press, “No, what will you really be?” the child turns to comforting and creative Abuela, “who has been everything under the Sun and the Moon,” about how to imagine possibilities for the future. Offering sound, loving advice, “Abuela points to my heart and says, ‘Listen.’ ” And a rainbow swirl of paint from Abuela’s brush sweeps readers through pages of verdant outdoor scenes as the child envisions various futures as a builder, a dreamer, a farmer, a healer—taking pride in how each of those roles celebrates community, heritage, and family, and offering readers a greater understanding of the future’s expansive possibilities. Ages 4–8. [em](May) [/em]