Review of "Oh Little One, Who Will You Be?" by Sharon Varney, Illustrated by Anthony Richichi

​Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
It's a question that every child is asked at one time or another.

But though it's a compelling, fascinating, and engaging question for children, it's just as important to parents and adults.

Every parent wants the best for their children and dreams of them becoming great and successful.
It's one of the greatest gifts of life: a hope for a better life—the ability to aspire and to dream.

Oh Little One, Who Will You Be? by Sharon Varney perfectly captures that spirit.
The parents in this book wonder and dream about what their children will grow up to be.

One couple envisions their adventurous son as an explorer or, perhaps, a zoologist or biologist.

One couple envisions their expressive and humorous baby as a comedian.

Another couple of a son who is good with dogs envisions him becoming a veterinarian someday.

Yet another couple wonders if their daughter, who is passionate (albeit messy) while baking, might become a professional baker someday.

Another couple, who sees how their child cares for other children, envisions him becoming a nurse.

Two scientists who've gotten their child on board with their scientific passions wonder if she'll become a scientist too.

Perhaps one day, a baby who is fascinated by the planets hanging above his crib may become an astronaut.

The concept and message of this book is powerful and beautiful. The illustrations, by mult-time OCA winner Anthony Richichi, are among Richichi's best in a children's book!

In the past, one of the things that really stood out to us as holding Richichi's art back is how the scale of scenes were so great that characters were out of focus. That's not the case for much of this book. For example, on page 4, we get up close and personal with the parents, baby, and all of the baby's wild expressions. On page 7, we get up close and personal with the parents and the soon-to-be baker as she cooks up a storm.

In scenes that are a bit large and scaled up, the backgrounds are mostly detailed and the action/events taking place make sense, adding rather than detracting or distracting from the story's message. For example, the soon-to-be athlete on page 10 is in the presence of statues of sporting legends as well as kids playing all sorts of spots, showing how these things inspire and encourage her.

On the next page, the soon-to-be builder overlooks the city while the sun rises, illuminating the buildings that were build by people just like him.

We have a soft spot for page 13, in which the little girl proves herself to be a budding farmer, because we just read Macie and the Magic Veggies by Peter Contardo, which highlighted this very thing. The scene is also among the most detailed in the book with several layers of depth ranging from the mountains and sun in the far distance, the barn and parents in the near distance, and the daughter and dog up close.

Page 15, which showcases the teacher, features butterflies and birds outside the window.

Check it out on Amazon!