The New York Times bestseller that celebrates the dreams, acceptance, and love that parents have for their children . . . now and forever!
From brave and bold to creative and clever, Emily Winfield Martin's rhythmic rhyme expresses all the loving things that parents think of when they look at their children. With beautiful, and sometimes humorous, illustrations, and a clever gatefold with kids in costumes, this is a book grown-ups will love reading over and over to kids-both young and old. A great gift for any occasion, but a special stand-out for baby showers, birthdays, and graduation. The Wonderful Things You Will Be has a loving and truthful message that will endure for lifetimes.
Even though I loved the artwork I previewed, I was a bit hesitant to buy this book because my daughter has a rare chromosome disorder that may immensely impact her life... to the point where she may not walk, talk, or be a functional, independent adult. I was afraid this book would focus on "the wonderful things you will be," as in particular careers, activities, or things that required a lot of ability. Much to my delight, this book instead focuses less on specific activities and more on being kind, loving, adventurous, creative--things my daughter could still be, despite any limitations and obstacles she may face. This book emphasizes being UNIQUE, not necessarily being "able." I really appreciate that. This book makes me cry because I don't know what will happen to my daughter (nobody does--because her condition is so rare), but I love her and she is wonderful, and this book lets her know that!
There are a great many positive, self-affirming messages in this beautiful book for youngsters to soak in - nice little antidote against some of the other messages out there that children are exposed to! Sometimes, I feel a little fearful when I think of how children can't help but be exposed to the negative influences in the world at much younger ages than ever before, no matter how much we try to protect them. At the same time, there are so many BEAUTIFUL and good influences in the world as well, like this book, and I truly believe that keeping a steady diet of healthy, positive "mind food" going into a youngster's brain can go a long way in equipping them to counteract the junk that creeps in from time to time.
This precious book is such a great tool to help them begin... soft illustrations complementing simple words, a book that encourages a youngster to use his/her imagination and think of all of the possibilities in answering the age old question adults pose to them, "So... what do you want to be when you grow up?" There are SO many things I like about it. Many of the children's books we've accumulated over the years for our grandchildren go into possible occupations - but life is so much more than occupations, isn't it? "Who" you become is so much more than that, and the pages reflect that sentiment with deeper questions, one of my favorites being, "Will you tell a story that only you know?"
You'll find that so many of the pages contain encouraging and supportive statements of belief in a child's capabilities, i.e. "I know you'll be..." (kind/clever/bold/brave/bright), with the last page assuring him/her "And I'll love you, whoever you've grown up to be." I really believe books like this can be so instrumental in promoting a good self-image, as a child's rapidly developing mind soaks in positive messages. Think youngsters will especially enjoy a 2-page spread toward the back that has flaps opening up into a full 4-page spread, with children dressed in various Halloweenish-looking costumes (isn't that what they're actually doing while they're tricking-or-treating... an early testing out imaginative possibilities?), and the diversity of the children depicted is a nice plus.
I doubt there's a parent or grandparent out there who hasn't gazed at the face of a newborn cradled in their arms and not dreamed of "the wonderful things you will be"? At our Christmas gathering this year, it was so terrific for my husband and I to look at all of those beautiful little faces and think about the wonderful things they will all be! This was one of the gifts for our 2+ year old grandson, but I know his two older brothers will enjoy it as well, along with his baby sister one day.
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