Bring together the talents of Lesléa Newman, the award-winning poet and author of 75 books for readers of all ages (including the classic Heather Has Two Mommies), and Pura Belpré Honor Award-winning illustrator and educator Maya Gonzalez, and chances are, the results will be terrific. That’s the case with this book, a joyous, rhyming celebration of self-expression.
I can be everything I want to be,
I can be all of magnificent me!
it begins exuberantly. Six children diverse in skin tones, whose genders are never specified but could be variously read as boys, girls, or nonbinary, play, create, feel, and interact. We see them wearing skirts or pants (or both!), cooking, dancing, playing sports, caring for baby dolls, trying makeup, playing music, and more. No one is labeled and no one is excluded for who they are as they imagine themselves as astronauts, magicians, mermaids, pirates, princes, and princesses. They also show us that it’s okay to show emotion—to pound a pillow when one is mad, rock in a chair when feeling sad, or ask for a hug when frightened. Mostly, though, they show the joy inherent in being themselves, and let readers know that they can do so, too.
Gonzalez’s colorful characters move, frolic, and express themselves in her signature style as Newman’s words offer inspiring, affirming examples of the possibilities open to any child.
This is a gem of a book that should find many fans.
