The sky's the limit for Bunting's (Sing a Song of Piglets, p. 1218, etc.) assemblage of vivacious young ladies who imagine themselves in every profession under the sun. A simple alliterative listing of names and occupations is the basis of this affirming roll call. The exotic roster of appellations is a perfect match for the varied scope of vocations detailed; descriptions range from Gwen the gondolier, Quinn the harvest queen, Windermere the writer, to Ula the umpire. Bunting expands the horizon of employment opportunities for young girls, judiciously offering a blend of traditional and historically less-traditional female pursuits, firmly putting aside the notion of gender-specific employment. Librarians play alongside racecar drivers, a presidential candidate and a homemaker are equally touted, and a computer aficionado shares a spread with a ballerina. The gentle cadence of the rhyming text ties the verses together, unifying the seemingly disparate list of names and occupations. Bloom's (Piggy Monday, 2001, etc.) exuberantly colored illustrations convey the enthusiasm of these youngsters as they test the waters of possibilities. Like the avocations selected by Bunting, Bloom offers readers a broad spectrum of role models, portraying girls in a range of ethnicities, shapes, and physical characteristics. The final verse succinctly summarizes Bunting's empowering message: "Girls, / Be anything you want to be. / Do what you want to do. / Dream any dream you want to dream. / The world is here for you. " A treasure that should be on every young girl's bookshelf and maybe on a boy's as well. (Picture book. 4-8)

In this rhyming alphabet book, twenty-six girls, each of whose names begins with a different letter, are shown energetically pursuing their presumed future vocations (Aliki is an astronaut, / Belinda likes ballet, / Chris is a computer whiz-- / she's online every day). The festive illustrations of the girls simultaneously at work and at play make the book's wrap-up--Girls, / Be anything you want to be, etc.--unnecessary. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

K^-Gr. 3. Bunting offers an alphabet of girls with names ranging from Aliki to Zoe who imagine themselves in various activities and creative professions with the same first letter as their name: "Windemere writes picture books;" "Xi plays the xylophone." Colorful illustrations set against a white background enhance the one-sentence statements, and many scenes show comfy domestic scenes and familiar objects from a child's world, such as stuffed animals and toys. The girls are all colors and sizes: Chris, a computer whiz, is in a wheelchair. From gondolier to engineer, the message is clear: girls can be anything they want to be. Young girls (and boys) may want to match their own names with occupations, and the book can easliy serve as a springboard for discussions about professions. --Julie Cummins

PreS-K-Bunting has created a winning alphabet book that is playful, inventive, and (coincidentally) politically correct. Accompanied by Bloom's exuberant watercolor portraits, the rhymes feature 26 girls acting out what they hope to become when they grow up-from Aliki the astronaut to Zoe the zookeeper. Bunting's verse is never forced-"Dana is a dentist,/Eve's an engineer,/Fiona puts out fires,/Gwen's a gondolier"-and the children are every bit as diverse as the careers they contemplate. The book concludes with an unnecessary coda-"Girls,/Be anything you want to be./Do what you want to do./Dream any dream you want to dream./The world is here for you"-but it is well worth sharing.-Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.