I am thinking my life

A child ponders the connection between thought and action in this meditative book by Atwater, which uses incantatory phrasing to express empowerment: "I think myself smiling. I see myself smiling. I am smiling." Lewis's stylish digital illustrations smoothly mix fantasy and reality, showing the brown-skinned child first drawing a house and then directing a crew of teddy bears in its construction. An element of emotional truth is introduced when the youth encounters storms, providing an opportunity for the persevering protagonist to discover a reservoir of inner strength that generates even more expansive dreams: "I can think anything!" Later shifting to affirmations of character traits ("I am powerful. I am radiant"), the book builds to a beatific suggestion of future possibilities. An author's note concludes. Ages 3--7. (Feb.)

PreS-Gr 1--In her debut picture book, Atwater creates an empowering look at imagining the life you want to live. Through the pages, readers see a beautiful Black girl with large eyes and beads adorning her locs. The story follows her through her daily life of playing outside with blocks and other toys, eating dinner with her family, and getting ready for bed. She constantly creates and imagines her make-believe world and her place in it. Though the text is very sparse, with one to two sentences per page, Atwater and Lewis build emotion over the course of the story that will have readers cheering for the heroine. Lewis's contemporary cartoon-style illustrations are full of joy in vivid colors. Challenges in the book are framed as storms, which are visually appealing. The story is well-suited for read-alouds where connections can be drawn and independent context provided. An author's note concludes the book and shares Atwater's own struggles in envisioning and building her life. VERDICT A welcome addition to early elementary and public libraries where Kobi Yamada and Peter H. Reynolds's work circulates well.--Monisha Blair