Terry’s Many Hats

Making his picture book debut, actor and athlete Crews (Terry’s Crew), writing with Baker (Squirrel and Bird), explores the joy of multifaceted selfhood in this story featuring young Terry, “a boy with BIG dreams.../ and a whole lot of hats.” Though he’s a football star whose coaches believe he can go pro, Terry’s also an artist, a singer, a photographer, and a scientist—and a kid who feels pressured by adults to choose just one activity. But after focusing solely on the biggest football game of the year and leading his team to victory, Terry feels unfulfilled, until his mother asks him who he is and reassures him that he can be “all those things. Some days or weeks you may wear one hat more often, but that doesn’t mean the others are gone.” His father adds, “No one else can tell you which hat fits best.” Digital illustrations from Cherislin (The Sunshine Queens) burst with color and motion, capturing Terry’s exuberance and creativity throughout this optimistic reminder that identity and interest needn’t be singular. Ages 4–6. (Feb.)