Soon, Your Hands

PreS-K–Within a vibrant community of loving families are children who, while small for now, will soon use their hands to achieve great things. Much like Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, this book is both a heartfelt promise and a love letter from caregivers to their children. Three families are featured, and while each one only includes one child, the skin colors, family makeup, and daily activities differ. Two male parents, one girl with hearing aids, and one intergenerational family enhance the diversity of the story through their representation of various family types. Illustrations created with pen and watercolor use a plethora of color to amplify the uniqueness found in each person while depicting how those qualities can build a rainbow of connection. Very little text is used, which can make it accessible to younger readers, though the overall subtlety of the narrative is best suited to those with the patience to decipher it. A lovely addition to the story is the use of American Sign Language in several of the images, as well as a glossary at the end describing the signs and how to replicate them. There is already great detail to investigate in the illustrations, and the use of ASL provides a dynamic and memorable layer to share with young children.