All The Things You'll Do by Kevin Glavin illustrated by Sarah Grepo

Children are so full of possibilities. And for first time parents in particular, there are going to be a lot of firsts. First time going outside. First time crawling, walking, running. First day of school, first time reading a book together, first time riding a bike. There will be a lot of firsts, some big and some small. There will be so many things that a child will do...and his parents will be right there beside him, behind him, and watching him while he does them.

The first part of this book is a celebration of possibilities in an abstract way. There are pictures and text (although, in the galley that I read, the words and images that you see at the same time don't match up; you have to flip the page to find the matching picture, which I found a bit confusing - I have heard that this is not the case for the finished book.) that talk about all of the many things that children do as they grow up. The second part of the book looks specifically at the reader and all the things that he or she might do. Pages invite the reader (and the parents, particularly for young kids) to personalize the book by including individual details like pictures, goals, and information about their lives. There are lists to record goals and firsts for each of the child's first ten years (poor seven gets stuck with the clunky "closer to Heaven," not really what I want to be thinking about if I was also thinking about my child), spaces to reflect, and room to talk about lifetime goals. It'll be a neat keepsake for families and a way to remember someone's childhood. Because of the personal aspects and the space to make it about you and your child, this is a book to buy rather than borrow, and one that would make a good present for new parents.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Kevin Glavin Publishing.

Find out more information about the book at its website.

Read it with:
I Can Be Anything! by Jerry Spinelli
Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss
Walk On! by Marla Frazee
Grow Up by Sandy Turner