I COULD BE

Science-loving Josephine imagines future career paths.

The young narrator considers a variety of jobs, from veterinarian to animator to geologist to engineer. The book offers a wonderful array of possibilities and ends with a crucial message: “I guess, since I have so many choices and interests…I could be whatever I want to be!” The illustrations have a cartoonlike feel. Each image of the related job shows Josephine actively engaged in that role, wearing the related uniform and using the appropriate tools. As a planetary astronomer, Josephine is seen wearing a lab coat and looking through a telescope; as a botanist, the child uses a microscope and is surrounded by plants. Josephine presents as biracial, with light brown skin and dark hair in braids. One of Josephine’s parents presents as Black, the other as White. Though gender is not specifically mentioned, clothing and hair suggest that Josephine is a girl, and given that these fields are places where women of color are often pushed to the margins, the message that a girl of color can confidently imagine and have a STEAM career is an important one—and one that hasn’t always been seen in children’s literature. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A refreshingly empowering career book.