Dear You, Dream Big! [Hardcover]

A new classic for Black and Brown children.

ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is possible!

Perhaps you want to become an artist, or a scientist, or maybe even president. Even when--especially when--the path is hard, Dear YOU: Dream BIG.

A personal, poetic, and uplifting affirmation from Caribbean-born author Baptiste Paul encouraging today's Black youth to reject those who wish to silence them, exclude them, and reject their talents with one powerful refrain.

A powerful, lyrical anthem of Black pride celebrating Black creativity, leadership, and innovation that's perfect for fans of All Because You Matter, I Am Every Good Thing, and I Am Enough. Black and brown children are encouraged to stand tall and proud in htis second-person narrative. Illustrations show the children at school, facing struggles and learning about improtant figures in science, politics, and art. Three children study real-world figures, such as Katherine Johnson and Shirley Chisholm. An art classroom has a poster of Jean-Michel Basquiat on the wall, and his crown iconography figures heavily into the fictional character's aesthetic. The inviting text is both affirming and repetitious, encouraging Black and brown children to persevere. White characters are shown as beneficiaries of ststemic discrimination: a blond white boy with presentation on Lincoln becomes class leader, it's inferred, and a white teacher speaks to a white student while the Black girl raises her hand, again, inferring neglect. The truth of unfairly amplifying white voices over others is addressed vaguely by the text, but more specifically in the illustrations. These are done with digital crayon and colored pencil and take artistic license with, for example, skewed body proportions and room perspectives. The three protagonists are detailed, while other characters are often shown as sketchedlƒ4