Wonderful Things You Will Be

Emily Winfield Martin spent a lot of time as a child wondering what she would grow up to be. She turned out to be lots of things: a painter, stitcher, cat tamer, and author and illustrator of books like Dream Animals and Day Dreamers. Emily lives among the giant fir trees of Portland, Oregon, where she wonders what other things she will be. Visit her online at emilywinfieldmartin.com.

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...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.