Genre
Metafiction
Picture books for children
Storytime standouts
Pace
Fast-paced
Tone
Amusing
Writing Style
Attention-grabbing
Participatory
Witty
Illustration
Textured
Subject
Cat/dog relations
Cats
Dogs
Mice
Character
Anthropomorphic

"So there was a scary dog, right?
No!
But there was a cat, right?"

What is going on with this narrator?? Readers of all ages will have fun puzzling out the story here, with a semi-unreliable narrator and illustrations that shift to support the text. The final page has no illustration, just an open-ended question: "Hmmm, what do you think?" Unresolved endings can be divisive, but this could be very fun for storytime, or one on one. ( )

Possibilities know no bounds when it comes to all the things this boy might become.

Hayes is a boy with a special ability. He has a steel leg and get to exchange it for a new one every now and then. It's like his future —full of possibilities. He can be a baker, a magician, and so many more things. Even space isn't the limit.

Inspiration shines bright in these pages, not only showing that Hayes...a child with a disability...can be anything he wants to be, but that all kids have their futures open to them. I enjoyed the flip through the huge variety, some serious and some simply fun. The illustrations shift nicely with each dream and portray Hayes completely immersed in each scene.

The writing and story fits well to the intended age group and offers a very positive atmosphere the whole way through. It is written in rhyme with a vocabulary fitting to the age group as well. Expressed vocabulary words are written in a different color than the rest of the text so they stand out. The entire thing is in rhyme and flows smoothly most of the time. It does make a nice read aloud or is appropriate for beginner readers to try to tackle on their own as well.
I received an ARC and enjoyed the originality and engagement in this one. ( )