ONCE UPON A YOU

Co-authors Johnson and Bush—celebrities in sports and media, respectively—joined by Van Cleave, urge kids to reach for the stars.

“The story of you began the day you were born. With each passing year, as you grow and change, so does the story of you.” These sentences bookend a double-page spread showing a brown-skinned child with curly dark hair in a simultaneous succession of five points of growth—from infant to toddler to young running child. Next, an illustrated roller coaster complements the text’s reminders that every story has “ups and downs, twists and turns, excitement and mystery.” The next pages suggest possibilities in children’s futures, most of them exceptional. Rather than suggesting someone might play football, act, write, or study paleontology—rarefied in themselves—they might “score touchdowns,” “light up a stage,” “write a best-selling novel,” or “investigate a new species.” Social action gets a nod. More pages follow in which kids are urged to ignore outside voices of discouragement and to trust their inner voice in choosing clothes, actions, and words. More ego-boosting text ensues, always accompanied by lively, colorful, literally star-studded art featuring a diverse crew of kids. The upbeat tone of the text and art makes this a probable choice for a doting grandparent to read to a beloved young grandchild. Older kids may be inspired by Johnson’s personal endnote about overcoming adversity to become a champion football player.

A plethora of uplifting suggestions.