Sure to become a favourite! My review of "Whatever You Grow Up to Be" by Karen Kingsbury

"Ten little toes right from the start

make footprints on your mommy's heart!"

Author Karen Kingsbury and Illustrator Valeria Docampo team up again with their latest collaboration, "Whatever You Grow Up to Be". The story captures the journey from boyhood to manhood and all of the memorable moments in between. From playing in the mud to pretending to be a fireman, to heading off to college or becoming a father, this story celebrates all the possibilities that a mother can envision for her son as he grows up.

My children were super excited to see another book from Kingsbury and Docampo, immediately recognizing the signature illustrating style of the book from prior reads. They were soon captivated by the beautiful pictures and the catchy rhyme that the story is written in. Kingsbury adds her signature excellent writing style to the book, and she perfectly captures the highlights of a typical boys' childhood experiences. I loved all the scripture that accompanies the pages and different stages that the boy is found in, and felt they fit in well with the theme of that page. The story provides an excellent opportunity for your own son to envision the fun times he will have growing up, but also the responsibility he will grow into as he graduates and moves on to a career and starts a family of his own. In a world where godly, responsible men seem to be becoming a rare commodity, this book and others like it can play a pivotal role in calling out boys towards true masculinity. The book celebrates all that God has in store for boys, all the dreams that they can pursue, and as such is a joyful book that will inspire children to envision a bright future!

I and my children greatly enjoyed this latest treasure from Kingsbury, and award it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher via the BookLook Bloggers Program.

About the author and illustrator...

 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America’s favorite inspirational novelist, with over 20 million books in print. Her Life-Changing Fiction™ has produced multiple bestsellers, including Unlocked, Leaving, Take One, Between Sundays, Even Now, One Tuesday Morning, Beyond Tuesday Morning, and Ever After, which was named the 2007 Christian Book of the Year. An award-winning author and newly published songwriter, Karen has several movies optioned for production, and her novel Like Dandelion Dust was made into a major motion picture and is now available on DVD. Karen is also a nationally known speaker with several women’s groups including Women of Faith. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, Don, and their five sons, three of whom are adopted from Haiti. Their daughter Kelsey is married to Christian artist Kyle Kupecky.

Valeria began to draw driven by the desire to capture the poetry of everyday things: the children and dogs' glance, the shape of the plants, the sound of the autumn dry leaves and the aroma of breakfast.  Since 2006 she has been dedicated to children book's illustration.
She is represented by the agency MB Artist in New York. She illustrates for publishers from 5 continents.

Buy the book