CAREER DREAMING WITH KINGSTON A-Z

A Black girl dreams of professions in alphabetical order in this picture book by a mother and daughter team.

Kingston, a girl with Afro puffs, explains that Career Day at her school featured people with all sorts of jobs. “The Activist is for the people. / The Banker really loves math,” she notes. Can Kingston be a teacher, just like her mom? “Dream, baby, dream, and you will see,” her parents say. As Kingston beams sweetly at their bedtime kisses, they leave her to envision her future: astronaut, basketball player, chef. Kingston’s dreams of Black professionals feature childlike adults, and the renderings of her job possibilities are simplified. A female chef stands in a kitchen as cookies bake, a male teacher lectures, a girl entrepreneur sells lemonade at a cardboard stand, and a short-haired librarian shelves books. But what is a kinesiologist? The picture shows a doctor with a hand on a patient’s knee. And what does a quahogger do? No clams are featured in the image. Adkins and Paj’s sketchy, cute digital pencil cartoons portray emotions and gestures effectively with a few lines—though as the alphabet proceeds, some professions prove harder to explain in a single image. Authors GirlKing and Kingston do not include any aftermatter that offers insights into job responsibilities. Nevertheless, parents seeking a simple visual starting place to discuss vocations may find the story’s brevity and cartoon shorthand appealing.

An engaging but rudimentary tale about jobs, showcasing Black parents who support their child’s aspirations.