Review - ABC What Can He Be?

ABC What Can He Be? (ABC for Me)
by Sugar Snap Studio
illustrated by Jessie Ford
Date: 2019
Publisher: Walter Foster Jr
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 36
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

ABC What Can He Be? presents a wonderful world full of possibilities—from Astronaut to Zoo Veterinarian and everything in between.

Whether they're fascinated by construction sites, fire trucks, teaching, dancing, music, books, or any other thing, boys can grow up to be whatever they want! ABC What Can He Be? presents a whole alphabet full of exciting, thoughtful, and wonderful things boys can do, including environmental engineering, fashion design, carpentry, quantum physics, and yoga instruction. This book shows that there are no limits to what boys can pursue.

Talented illustrator Jessie Ford of Sugar Snap Studio pairs engaging, inspiring illustrations with 26 different career possibilities and empowering text, highlighting careers that are fun, challenging, and impactful. Young readers will learn their ABCs and discover a world of possibility open for their future through this fun family read.

With endearing illustrations and mindful concepts, the ABC for Me series pairs each letter of the alphabet with words that promote big dreams and healthy living.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

My first thought upon seeing this was along the lines of, "Why do boys need a book telling them they can be anything they want? Society already tells them that from the moment they're born!" But it's actually not quite that simple, and as I read through this book and saw some of the careers within, I started to understand why a book like this is needed.

Why not just make it an ABC of what all kids can do? Because our society has so clearly divided everything into "boy stuff" and "girl stuff", many of the careers in this book would be discounted as being just for girls. So the choice to have this book focused solely on boys makes sense. (In case you're wondering, there is a version for girls that was published last year.)

I was pleasantly surprised by the selection of careers in here. The author even managed to tie it to the alphabet theme without getting tripped up on letters like Q and X (Quantum Physicist and Xenobiologist, respectively). There are plenty of non-traditional careers for boys here; they can be a Ballet Dancer, a Fashion Designer, or a Nurse. They can also be an Environmental Engineer, a Horse Trainer, or a Welder. Basically, boys can be anything they can think of.

The illustrations are pretty cute, and the text is done quite well. This would be a good book for opening boys' eyes to the possibilities of all the things they might do with their lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Walter Foster Jr for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5