Written By: Lori Alexander
Illustrated by: Allison Black
For Ages: Infant & Up (board book)
Language: English
Topics Covered: Careers, STEM, Imagination.
Summary: This set of 4 adorable board books compares activities that babies do and different aspects of potential careers. I love how diverse the illustrations are, they show a wide variety of different people being President, engineering, and helping others. Instead of just following one baby and one professional, a wide array of people are shown. There is even a young girl playing doctor with a hearing aid, which is a lovely mirror for children with hearing loss. Making comparisons like both engineers and babies like to draw, or doctors look for clues and so does a baby (to figure out what happened to they teddy bear) it makes impressive careers seem approachable and fun.
In the back of each book, the last two pages are devoted to facts about each of the jobs: doctor, astronaut, engineer, and president. This series is really wonderful, it will definitely be on my list of go-to’s for future baby showers and would make a lovely gift set for expecting parents. With bright colors and lots of details to look at, I think this will be a favorite for infants and toddlers while they dream about future careers!
These 4 board books were kindly sent by the author, but all opinions are my own!
I grew up in sunny San Diego, California with my parents, little brother, and lots of nearby cousins. I was the oldest of the bunch, so it was up to me to come up with the best games and stories. Some might have said “bossy” but I prefer “caring”.
On rainy days, my mom pulled out a huge box bursting with craft supplies. While my brother twisted fuzzy pipe cleaners into mini weapons, I made books. They had fancy felt covers, main characters dressed in glitter, and bad dudes with button eyes. I was terrible with a stapler so my books are usually held together with hair ribbons or barrettes. There were never enough rainy days in San Diego.
Now, I live with my husband and kids in extremely sunny Tucson, Arizona. There are far fewer rainy days here. but I still love making books. And even though I’m better with a stapler, I leave the book binding to the professionals.
From Allison’s website: “My name is Allison Black. I’m an illustrator and designer specializing in cute and colorful creations. I’m originally from Rochester, New York and I received my Bachelor’s of Fine Art at Syracuse University in 2008. After school, I lived in Los Angeles and Minneapolis but I have now made Columbus, Ohio my home.
I worked for two years in the baby bedding industry before I was hired by Target. For the next seven years I worked in-house on various teams including: the Seasonal Team, Stationery Team, Toddler Apparel, Bullseye’s Playground, and the 2D Art Team. I worked directly with factories and vendors, gave art direction and feedback, designed proprietary artwork and products, and developed my illustration style and artistic voice. In 2017 I left Target to work for myself and to focus more on the children’s book industry.
Over the years, I’ve developed an enormous range of products from baby bedding to kid’s clothing, Christmas ornaments to summer toys. I’ve collaborated with various stationery companies to develop playful greeting cards and I have my own line, Hip-Hip, which can be found in my shop. But no matter what I’m creating, I always bring a little Allison flair to the project through my bold color palettes, playful illustrations, and thoughtful design.
Besides making art, I enjoying gardening, traveling, eating sweet treats and going for walks. I love animals and bugs and I share my home with two ridiculous dogs, a grumpy cat and two chatty guinea pigs. I have a young son and an amazing husband and I feel very lucky to do what I love for a living!”