All That You Are

In an effusive pep talk turned picture book, Prasadam-Halls and Prabhat encourage self-appreciation. Familial connection provides initial grounding (“You are your mother’s bright eyes”), while ensuing lines broaden outward with sensorial comparisons (“You’re the gleam/ of ripe mangoes”). Surrealistic, candy-colored renderings enhance the verse’s buoyancy with energetic depictions that follow two youths, portrayed with brown skin, embracing their individual uniqueness as well as cultural ties. Oversize flora—from peaches to jasmine—gesture toward life’s dimensionality, and ribbons of paint provide an ebullient feeling of movement and flow. As final pages build to a crescendo, the result is a rousing takeaway: “Burn bright! Stand tall!/ A brilliant new star...// the BEST OF ALL.” Ages 3–6. (Aug.)