Staff Pick
Author/illustrator Andrea Pippins’s debut picture book is a heartfelt meditation on welcoming a new baby to the family. Will Little One have Grandma’s boldness, cousin Curlena’s joy, Auntie’s sense of adventure? Will they watch the clouds with their brother? “My wish is that you will be all these things and more. You will be your own self, for no one in the world has ever been like you.” A wonderful read-aloud for ages three and up. Recommended By Madeline S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
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.
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)
Review
"A perfectly executed paean to individuality, each child's potential, and the power of leading by example.” Booklist (Starred Review)
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.