MOMMY IS A PROJECT MANAGER

Lin and Chang’s debut picture book hails a project-manager mom and the tasks she performs.

The unnamed narrator of this book, a young blond boy, explains to readers what his dark-haired mother, a project manager, does for a living. (Text is in Spanish, which is translated by Morales; Chinese, which is translated by Lin; and English.) She works with many people; she tracks project costs and manages tasks; she prevents scope creep. Besides doing her job well, the narrator’s mother also has some fine qualities like courage, intelligence, and affection. All in all, exclaims the boy, “She is my super project manager mom!” Most children’s books about adult careers use familiar roles like firefighter, mail carrier, or doctor. But the contemporary working world consists of many more kinds of jobs, especially managerial ones, so Lin fills an important gap. These somewhat abstract concepts are rendered with kid-friendly interpretations, helped out by Chang’s winsome colored-pencil illustrations. For example, “mitigation plan” is illustrated by the mother’s tote bag full of items like an umbrella, a first-aid kit, sunblock, bug spray, and so on—things that give options to address problems and increase success. Adults may still need to connect some of the dots for young readers, such as definitions for terms like “mitigation” or “stakeholders.” And some connections are less convincing, like how the mother “lifts up people’s spirits with her magic wand,” which is a presentation clicker at work and a spatula at home.

A useful, sometimes-advanced addition to books about grown-up jobs.