I Can Be Anything! Don't Tell Me I Can't

PreS-Gr 2—Dillon offers a simple yet poignant reflection on the power of positive thinking. Zoe declares, "I can be anything I want to be"—from an archaeologist to a veterinarian, a musician, a famous chef, and more. Yet each time she imagines the possibility, a little voice, presumably her own, challenges her aspiration: "What if you get homesick?" "What if they bite you?" "What if you don't have talent?" Zoe's steadfast determination prevails until she finally concludes that learning to read and then reading a lot will pave the way to her success. Dillon's watercolor illustrations are stylistically familiar, but have a notably softer quality than her previous works. Absent are the formerly characteristic dark lines and extravagant details. The muted tones complement the imaginative playfulness of the young child's ruminations. Each page features a portrait-style painting of Zoe as ornithologist, inventor, firefighter, etc., an ample white border that supports the text, and small corner pictures of Zoe in the midst of make-believe.