The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be

November 2, 2020
A variously diverse group of earnest children designs individual hot-air balloons in this chirpy book by the creators of We Are the Gardeners. Gaines’s prose can be cumbersome, and inconsistencies in the verse’s rhyme and rhythm may make for rocky reading aloud—addressing the kids’ divergent creative processes, Gaines writes, “Some of us think through every possibility before we jump in./ And some of us know what we like before we even begin.” Though ambiguities and platitudes slow the story’s pace (“All of us can be kind, compassionate, and gracious./ All of us can be helpful, considerate, and courageous”), Swaney’s crisp pictures ground the narrative, pinpointing each child’s creative path, personality, and willingness to collaborate with others. A mix of spot art and busy panoramas, the cheerful illustrations feature a spectrum of bold and pastel hues—most strikingly evident in the eclectic balloons’ designs and patterns—and help solidify Gaines’s message about the rewards of appreciating others and creatively expressing one’s individuality. Ages 4–8.

A diverse cast of children first makes a fleet of hot air balloons and then takes to the sky in them. Lifestyle maven Gaines uses this activity as a platform to celebrate diversity in learning and working styles. Some people like to work together; others prefer a solo process. Some take pains to plan extensively; others know exactly what they want and jump right in. Some apply science; others demonstrate artistic prowess. But "see how beautiful it can be when / our differences share the same sky?" Double-page spreads leading up to this moment of liftoff are laid out such that rhyming abcb quatrains typically contain one or two opposing concepts: "Some of us are teachers / and share what we know. / But all of us are learners. / Together is how we grow!" In the accompanying illustration, a bespectacled, Asian-presenting child at a blackboard lectures the other children on "balloon safety." Gaines' text has the ring of sincerity, but the sentiment is hardly an original one, and her verse frequently sacrifices scansion for rhyme. Sometimes it abandons both: "We may not look / or work or think the same, / but we all have an / important part to play." Swaney's delicate, pastel-hued illustrations do little to expand on the text, but they are pretty. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.2-by-18.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 70.7% of actual size.) As insubstantial as hot air. (Picture book. 4-8)

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