Who Will You Be?

by Andrea Pippins

Overview

For fans of I Am Enough, The Day You Begin, and The Wonderful Things You Will Be, here is a poignant picture book about how family and community help shape the wonderful people our children become.

My child, my little one,
Who will you be when you are grown?
There's loving kindness in your eyes, like your daddy's
and boldness in your heart, like your grandma's.
Will you be like them?

So begins this loving picture book about a mama who wonders who her child will grow up to be. Will her little one be curious like Grandpa and adventurous like Auntie Amina? Compassionate like Amy and joyful like cousin Curlena? Moving from family members to the wider community, she muses about which attributes her child will possess. A perfect gift for a baby shower, birthday, or graduation. Who Will You Be? features gorgeous artwork and gentle words that celebrate childhood and is an ode to the power of our village—and a reminder that every child is uniquely wonderful.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984849489
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	04/07/2020
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	136,941
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD430L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Andrea Pippins is the creator of the coloring book I Love My Hair and the interactive book Becoming Me: A Work in Progress and the illustrator of Young, Gifted and Black, which received multiple starred reviews and which the New York Times called "hard to resist." She is an influencer, an artist, a designer, and an educator with a penchant for cool and a personality as warm as her Brazilian roots. Her work can be seen in magazines and on television as well as on clothing and stationery. She also produces digital and screen-printed artwork in which she explores color, pattern, and texture while interpreting her personal experiences as an African American woman. Andrea lives in Stockholm, Sweden, where you can often find her dancing in her living room with the samba music way up. Learn more at andreapippins.com.

Editorial Reviews

"A perfectly executed paean to individuality, each child's potential, and the power of leading by example.” —Booklist, starred review

"This warm and engaging title captures a parent’s wonder as she ponders the person her baby will grow up to become. . . . Highly recommended as a gift for new parents." —School Library Journal, starred review

“A sweet work that promotes love and belonging.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

05/01/2020

Toddler-PreS—This warm and engaging title captures a parent's wonder as she ponders the person her baby will grow up to become. Bright, digitally colored illustrations portray a young child with a different family or community member on each spread, asking if the child will be like a bold grandma; a joyful cousin; or compassionate, adventurous aunties and friends. The final two pages end with a mother's wish for her child to "be all these things and more," and on the final spread, with the baby's face cradled in the mother's hands comes the assurance that "whoever you will be, I will love you forever." The specificity of the family members and traits celebrated gives the book a genuine and affirming quality that makes it a welcome addition to the shelf of new baby books. VERDICT Highly recommended as a gift for new parents and for inclusion in most library collections.—Amanda Foulk, Sacramento P.L.

School Library Journal

2020-02-09
It takes both family and community support early on to encourage children to grow up to be their full authentic selves.

New life often sparks conversation from excited family around whom the expected child may look like in the family or what they may grow up to be. Pippins here explores how one African American family celebrates their newest addition. Addressing the newcomer, the narrator speculates about which qualities and enthusiasms demonstrated by loved ones the babe might share. This heartfelt narrative speaks to everyday experiences, whether a family get-together, camping, or baking. Pippins goes a step beyond family to layer this narrative with the important role community plays in the black experience. From wondering whether the child will be like family members, such as “your cousin Curlena [who] is loud and joyful,” the narrator moves on to wonder if the child will “find beauty in all that you see, like Ms. Jess” or “be compassionate, like Alessandra.” The striking, posterlike pictures are filled with bold characters engaging in both activism and quiet contemplation in addition to homey activities. Characters are all different shades of brown, reinforcing a sense of vibrant diversity (though there is no recognizable LGBTQ or disability representation here). Older kids will relate to hearing adults talk about whom they resemble, whether in appearance or personality.

A sweet work that promotes love and belonging. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews