The Wonderful Things You Will Be

Product Information

In, The Wonderful Things You Will Be, the sky is the limit on the wonderful things that your child can be. Be imaginative together. Spend time reading this sweet book and talking about your hopes and dreams. Compliment your child on their many wonderful qualities and encourage them to be their very best self- they are one of a kind (Just like Tigger)!

It is arranged as a letter to the most important and beloved person in the world. And all of the lines are spotted with tiny and hidden reasons for love. She likes bears and sea monsters and seashell pink poppies. She lives and works among the giant fir trees of Portland, OR. The wealth of possibilities contained within even the tiniest child is the subject of Martin's ( Day Dreamers) love letter from parent to offspring: "When you were too small/ To tell me hello,/ I knew you were someone/ I wanted to know." This potential can be seen in everything children do, from working in a garden ("Will you learn what it means/ To help things to grow?") to bandaging a toy bear. The book concludes with a double gatefold, drawn as a proscenium-style curtain, that reveals a group of eccentrically costumed children (a robot, a pencil, a log) to represent the idea of becoming " anybody/ That you'd like to be." Martin's characters generally exhibit a preternatural sense of self-possession, but this book's subject matter adds another layer of meaning to the poised poker faces on display. Her children are so serious (even when swinging on a swing) and so unflappable (even when tailoring a pair of pants for a squirrel) that they convey not just hope for the future, but a sense of manifest destiny. Publishers Weekly, Publishers Weekly

Martin's rhyming text moves the narrative along with lyrical narration reminiscent of a poem or a lullaby. Although this book is an obvious choice for parents to read with their children, it can also work just as well in a story time program. The text is just a tad too long for a baby story time but I could see toddlers or school age children being drawn in by the bright colors and rhymes.

From brave and bold to creative and clever, the rhythmic rhyme expresses all the loving things that parents think of when they look at their children. With beautiful, and sometimes humorous, illustrations, 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 Behas a loving and truthful message that will endure for lifetimes. I read it as an adult interested in the craft of illustrating children’s books, but I got something rather precious from reading it myself. As I got to think about how parents raise their children and have all sorts of anticipations for their futures and caring for them to grow older and prosper, I thought of divine providence on the other hand. Though this idea is not presented at all in the book in any direct or indirect way, but I thought it’s nice to receive this sentiment from a children’s book. The book’s excellent illustrations are both whimsical and relatively realistic with diverse depictions of children. Although smudged with MY PARENTS’ tears, the watercolor illustrations held up well.

What can be more precious and adorable than receiving such a present from the parents who gave life to you? Even as an adult, you would also value such a gift realizing how big your parents’ hearts are. The Wonderful Things You Will Be (2015) by Emily Winfield Martin is the rare picture book that truly has something for everyone. This thoughtful, quiet story imagines all of the things little ones (both babies and bigger kids) will grow up to be including creative and clever as well as brave and bold. 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.