What Will I Be? From A to Z

A wonderfully diverse and very sweet book about the eternal childhood question: "What will I be when I grow up?" The author takes us through the alphabet of career possibilities alongside adorable illustrations that highlight just what it is these careers entail. A great starting point for kids to become inspired by new interests and hobbies!

(Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

This is a fun twist on the classic alphabet book!

Each letter of the alphabet features a STEAM career with a short description and corresponding picture. It’s a fun way for children to hear and learn about other careers they might not be aware of.

Thank you to NetGalley and Familius for allowing me to review a copy of this book.

As an engineer and mom, I’m hyper critical of STEM/STEAM marketed products as most of them disappoint me. However, What Will I Be not only surpassed my expectations but is a book I’m looking forward to grabbing a physical copy of once it’s released for our home library (and you should too!).

Not only is it a great intro to different careers that kids may not have previously been exposed to, but the illustrations are absolutely stunning. Pair that with the best diverse representation I’ve seen in a children’s book to date (seriously Anna Doherty I see you with everything from accessibility aids to vitiligo rep and love it) and this belongs in every school library.

And from a mom perspective - this book was also just flat out fun to read aloud and I cannot recommend it any higher!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

What Will I Be From A to Z is an alphabet book for children that depicts a STEAM* career beginning with each lettter, with a range of diverse characters. I love just how diverse the range of children are in this book, we see a range of skin tones, hair colours, genders and abilities, including vitiligo and wheelchairs. There is a large cast of characters who return on various pages interacting with each other as their chosen occupation. I really appreciate this diversity especially when we have seen these careers often be caucasian and/or male dominated, showing that no matter who you are, if you are passionate about it and want to learn, you can do it.

This book is a great introduction to STEAM careers and the writing has a great pacing and rhythm for reading aloud to younger audiences. Some career specific words may not be known to the children hearing the story, however this opens up conversations for parents/educators to have with their children to discuss further details of what those careers entail. As an educator I appreciate that the author has included various branching out questions at the end of the book that parents/educators can use to form further discussions, projects or lesson plans based on ‘What Will I Be’.

The lineless illustrations created by Anna Doherty feature cohesive colour themes on each page and I was drawn into each drawing once I realised there were hidden letters featured on each page. Which I’m sure children would enjoy hunting for.

* STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics

This is absolutely adorable! From the illustrations, to the poem for each letter (love the unique rhyming scheme), to the diverse representation, this is a book I will definitely recommend to my teacher friends to get for their classrooms. I can’t wait until my nephew is older so I can read this to him!

What Will I Be? From A to Z by author Laura W Carter and illustrator Anna Doherty is a lovely A-B-C book, with subject matter rarely seen in books for children.
Using an easy-to-read-aloud rhyming scheme and realistic yet beautiful illustrations, the book takes children through various career options they might not be exposed to, and describes those options concisely and in a fun manner that will stick in the child's head. Those career options aren't just what one would consider STEM either; the arts and, to a lesser extent, the trades are represented as well.
Carter and Doherty have also made the book's characters both multicultural and of each gender, subtly and powerfully making it clear that any child, regardless of ethnicity and gender, can aspire to any career they wish.
At the end of the book is an excellent feature - career research questions to help older children to look into different options open to them.
Well-written and beautifully illustrated, this is a book that parents will want to start reading to their child early and often.
Thank you to #FamiliusBooks and #NetGalley for the ARC of this wonderful book.

Firstly, a big thanks to the author, Laura Carter, the illustrator, Anna Doherty, the publisher, Familius, and NetGalley for the privilege of being able to read a digital copy of What Will I Be? From A to Z. I will share my review to Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble upon release. This children's picture book focuses on the eternal question that every child ponders: What will I be when I grow up? Each letter of the alphabet expresses a different career with a beautiful illustration. Some are very specific, like Java Developer or Urban Planner, which I thought was really interesting and gives kids a more specific and detailed example that they may have never found out about until they were much older. It's so cool for kids to have great representation in books like this, to make sure they can see themselves in such a role.

The cover is lovely, with illustrations of kids showing what will be in the book - more pictures of diverse children doing diverse activities. At the end, there is a list of questions to discuss with children about what they may have learned from the book in order to think deeper about jobs and careers. The questions are intended to help children develop an early plan for what life will look like if they want to follow a certain path. This can be helpful, as learning the path to take is half the battle sometimes. This book would make an amazing addition to any child's home library, to a school library or classroom, a church library, etc. Thanks again!

I was a preschool teacher for five years, and have a degree in Early Childhood, and this is a book each teacher should have. Its fantastic! Laura wrote an absolutely beautiful book. It was just precious. Highly recommend! Every preschool should have this book in it.

Libraries need this book in the collection. It's a beautifully illustrated alphabet book, with rollicking rhymes and diverse BIPOC representation. The children are all interested and curious about STEM-based careers, and the book gently encourages them to follow their dreams. Charming, and well executed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

Here's my take on the review in a more personal tone:


---
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is a delightful and inclusive book that beautifully explores the timeless question every child asks: “What will I be when I grow up?” With a charming, easy-to-read-aloud rhyme scheme and vibrant, realistic illustrations, the book presents a variety of career paths in a way that’s memorable and engaging for young readers.

What I love most is that it doesn’t just focus on STEM careers; it also highlights roles in the arts and, to some extent, skilled trades, giving kids a broader view of possibilities. At the end, there’s even a section with career research questions for older children to dive deeper, making this a great resource for fostering curiosity.

I can’t wait for my cousin to grow up a little more so I can share this gem with him!

Surprisingly successful STEM-minded look at careers, which includes them all from Musician to Urban Planner to Kinesiologist, and gives them all a similar limerick-styled verse about what they are about. Even chucking in multi-syllable names such as the ones featured here doesn't interrupt the rhythm of the verse, meaning it's all very readable, and we see the oh-so-inclusive characters putting their skills to use in fine visuals. This is both highly practical and definitely an artistic achievement, too, which probably makes it worth the highest marks. I couldn't once say I expected better, although perhaps some pronunciation guides might have helped out.