7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #695: Featuring Andrea Pippins
June 14th, 2020 by jules
Will you be curious, like your uncle …”
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Today, I’ve got some spreads from Andrea Pippins’s Who Will You Be?, released back in April by Schwartz & Wade, in which a parent wonders who her child will grow up to be.
With pen and digitally colored illustrations in simple shapes and uncluttered spaces, the narrator speaks directly to her child: “My child, my little one, who will you be when you are grown?” From there, she thinks about and presents family members and friends and the traits each has that makes them special. For instance, Daddy has “loving kindness” in his eyes. The child’s brother is contemplative, observant. Ms. Jess finds beauty wherever she goes, and auntie loves adventure. The mother narrating the book sees some of the same qualities in her child, and in other instances wonders if her child will be like them. It’s a sweet story of a Black family and community — and the mother who looks to them as role models. As the starred Booklist review wrote, it’s a “paean to individuality, each child’s potential, and the power of leading by example.” The palette is bright, and given these eye-catching colors, as well as the book’s direct address to young children, perhaps we’ll see a board book version of the same book one day — for parents to share with toddlers.
Here a few more spreads from the book.
Will you be like them?”
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Will you be like her?”
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WHO WILL YOU BE? Copyright © 2020 by Andrea Pippins. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, New York.
Note for any new readers: 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.
1) Continuing to listen, donate, read, and learn.
2) Grateful that this week a friend sent me this link about Stacey Abrams’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign and the racially motivated voter suppression that occurred to keep her out of office. It’s not news to me, and it’s not very kicky, but I’m grateful to know this short film is out there for recommending (and for succintly educating my daughters on the topic).
3) Good talks with good friends about everything going on in this country now.
5) … and that score by Emile Mosseri.
6) Speaking of television, the last episode of Insecure broke my heart (COME ON, MOLLY), but that and the episode before it were so beautifully shot.
7) Attending a live, virtual Laura Marling concert last weekend in an empty Union Chapel in London. Beautiful.
What are YOUR kicks this week?
Hi Imps! Hi Andrea! Here’s to being joyful and having boldness in your heart, yes and yes!
Jules: Yay for Laura’s concert – I know how much you enjoy her music. Speaking of music, thanks for the Emile recommendation.
My kicks from the past week:
1) Strength
2) Safety
3) Speaking up
4) Symmetry
5) Synchronicity
6) Symphony
7) Style
Thanks for the look at Andrea Pippins’s Who Will You Be? It needs to be in every library.
Jules, I need to start Homecoming. We’re watching Poldark, Homeland, and Ray Donovan. Did you see Dead to Me…quirky.
LW, I love al the kicks especially symmetry, synchronicity, symphony.
My kicks:
1. Paint
2. A patio get together in the gorge
3. Friends.
4. Walks.
5. Writing.
6. Bees.
7. Note from former student.
Have a great week.
Love these bright bold illustrations. I agree with Little Willow – having boldness in your heart and being loud and joyful are wonderful qualities to have.
Jules – yay for good talks with friends, resources, and live music from an artist that you love. Last week’s insecure was heartbreaking and Molly is being a jerk, and it just rang so true about what happens in friendships sometimes, making it all the more heartbreaking. LOVED the reunion with Lawrence from the week before.
Little Willow – wonderful kicks! Really resonating for me are Strength, Safety, Speaking up and Style.
Jone – what a lovely week with friends, gatherings, walks, and writing. Yay bees!
My kicks this week:
1) Finding this black business to support: Freres Branchiaux. Founded by 3 brothers to earn spending money, it combines my love of candles with my love of creative & industrious kids. Eagerly awaiting the arrival of my first order. https://freresbranchiaux.com/pages/about-us
2) This lovely piece of profiles of young Oregon protestors -all under 30 and the youngest is 14: https://www.opb.org/news/article/george-floyd-protest-profile-oregon-portland-happy-valley/
3) So proud of and inspired by the protestors here in the US and around the world. Just saw video of today’s protest in Brooklyn and got chills.
4) Books. Just finished Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett and The Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler. Just started The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Eherlich and So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo.
5) Silly movies. Watched Walking On Sunshine which is a fun silly musical set and filmed in Puglia, Italy.
6) Lots of rain making my vegetable garden very lush.
7) Daisy being her sweet self. She’s recently tolerated being photographed in a beret and learned how to use her new tunnel in under 5 minutes. Love that dog.
7.5) Watching history unfold. So many things right now seem so overwhelming and sad. “We are living through a racial crisis, a health crisis, an economic crisis, and a democratic crisis. Each would be historic on its own. All of them are connected. That they have struck together in this way just might be what compels our transformation. ” – Anand Giridharadas
I agree and am so very hopeful we are in a moment where true change happens and we are all the better for it.
Stay safe everyone, and remember to drink some water today and be kind to yourself.
Little Willow, may my kicks one day be as poetic and alliterative as yours.
Jone, nope, haven’t seen Dead to Me, but I’ve heard good things about it. … It must be wonderful to hear from former students. I’m not surprised they want to keep in touch with you.
Rachel, YES, that Lawrence episode was so beautifully shot. Just dreamy. But I also like how they tackled mental illness in the same episode (her other ex talking about being diagnosed as bipolar). I read in an interview today that she is planning something different for the next season. I predict Lawrence will ask her to go to California with him. … Thanks for sharing what you’re reading. I’m about to finish Jabari Asim’s WE CAN’T BREATHE. Love your last kick. I also feel hopeful. … Happy veggie-growing, and hugs to Daisy.
Have a good week, you all!
That whole walk through the art walk – especially through the clouds – was so gorgeous. And yes to how they handled Nathan’s MH diagnosis so well. This season has just been amazing all around. (I’m guessing you saw the recent articles in the LA Times about the show – I had no idea that the actress who plays Kelli – Natasha Rothwell – is also one of the writers. I love her character.)
Yes, that must have been the piece I read.
Clearly, I was wrong about my season finale predictions. And I wanted to hear Molly and Issa TAAAALLLLKKKK. Waiting for next season will be a challenge.