English, limited Spanish.
4+ years
Self-Confidence
Career
Perseverance
Dreams
Professions
Imagination
Creativity
Family Encouragement
Yamile Saied Méndez & Kate Alizadeh
summary
Alright listen, I know I’m late to the party on this one. But moving was tough, and adjusting to change is even tougher for me. What Will You Be? is definitely a book that I wish I had when I was younger. At school, a young girl is asked what she’s going to be by her peers. Confident at first, she answers. Unconvinced, they ask what she’s REALLY going to be. As a person who has had an amalgam of desired careers, actual careers, and continual career aspirations, I’ve been there.
When the girl goes home, she asks her Abuela to help her. In all of her beautiful wisdom from living many lives, Abuela encourages the girl to listen to herself because she knows herself the best. These illustrations are absolutely beautiful and I love the way that Alizadeh depicts abstract thought and creativity. This would be another fabulous book for the beginning of a school year, setting the tone for a classroom that celebrates and encourages self-determination and creativity in all students.
I love the way the text showcases the way our main character is open and excited to endless possibilities; she could be a farmer and feed people, or she could be an artist and make the world more colorful. Whichever path she chooses, trusting her intuition and remembering that everyone is both a teacher and student will help define her impact on the world.
This book was kindly sent by Harper Kids, but all opinions are my own!
Yamile Saied Méndez
Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) Saied Méndez is a fútbol-obsessed Argentine-American Pura Belpré gold medal winning author. She lives in Utah with her Puerto Rican husband and their five kids, two adorable dogs, and one majestic cat. An inaugural Walter Dean Myers Grant recipient, she’s also a graduate of Voices of Our Nations (VONA) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Writing for Children’s and Young Adult program. She writes picture books, middle grade, young adult and adult romance fiction. Yamile is a founding member of Las Musas, the first collective of women and nonbinary Latinx MG and YA authors. She’s represented by Linda Camacho at Gallt & Zacker Literary.
Kate Alizadeh
Kate Alizadeh is an Iranian-British freelance illustrator and hand-letterer. They have a BA (Hons) in Illustration from Falmouth University.
Kate likes fluffy animals and going running. They don’t like spiders or having wet socks. Kate is non-binary and lives in Belfast with their partner and two mischievous cats.