When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Chair

In Harbuck and Lee’s self-assured picture book, a young creator and thinker who uses a wheelchair contemplates a future dream: being a chair. Adulthood, in pale-skinned Vo’s eyes, seems less than ideal: her father is busy with work, both of her parents are distracted by her baby sister, and Vo is lonely as a result. When Vo grows up, she doesn’t want to be like the grown-ups she knows—instead, she wants to be a chair (as text later notes, “Chairs are soft. They’re cushy.... Everyone needs a chair sometimes”). Others respond with challenging questions (“Why would you want to be sat on?”), and their responses make Vo feel that “she might as well just stop speaking altogether.” Days later, believing that no one has noticed her silence, the girl wheels herself to the park, where a tumble leads her to realize that “she needs to have a chair, but the chair isn’t her.” Closely observed narration squarely emphasizes Vo’s feelings and perceptions, while naive-style artwork that plays with scale builds a world filled with friendly-faced objects, including chairs, flowers, a hill, and planets, emphasizing Vo’s mobility aid as an entity that is separate from Vo. Focused on a child’s shifting self-image, it’s a complex exploration of autonomy, identity, and support. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Contextualizing creators’ notes and an activity conclude. Ages 6–8. (Apr.)