All You Can Be (Angela Casabene, illus Michelle Conn, Affirm)

Described as a love letter to children everywhere, encouraging them to embrace their true selves and live their lives to the fullest, All You Can Be, written by Angela Casabene and illustrated by Michelle Conn, is a timely reminder to be brave, strong, fair, adventurous, curious and kind. The book, for readers aged 4–7, follows a young girl’s day at the beach as she shows what is possible when you look at challenges as opportunities: from being brave and jumping off the jetty to learning all kinds of things—to enjoy time alone, to accept you can be wrong, to be silly, to have fun with new friends, and to share. With Conn’s bright and inviting illustrations, All You Can Be gently motivates children and is full of teachable moments that will prompt many conversations about values and issues that are particularly relevant for children (and adults!) in today’s post-pandemic world—including loneliness, resilience and risk-taking—while also acknowledging that sometimes ‘being all you can be’ can be challenging. The book puts it best: ‘When waves wipe you out/ And your head’s full of doubt/ “It’s so hard! It’s not fair! It’s too tricky!”/ It’s okay to say/ That’s enough for today/ Tomorrow/ be all you can be.’

Books+Publishing reviewer: Michelle Atkins is a communications professional and published educational author. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews