Dreams for a Daughter

“As I cradle you, look in your eyes,/ the ancestors peer back at me./ Your gaze says softly,/ I want to know everything.” A Black mother follows her maturing daughter from infanthood in Weather- ford’s (Unspeakable) heartfelt lines. The parent underlines hope for inner resolve (Though I long to pave your way,/ I marvel as you follow/ your own compass”), curiosity and education (“Books will carry you far”), self-knowledge (“Trust your mind/ and your gut”), and more in a journey that Pinkney (Time for Kenny) animates with sweeping swirls of color behind the figures of mother and daughter—lemon-yellow halos, the green wave of a hill, and stars radiating whorls of energy. The speaker promises to advocate for her daughter (“You are my champion and I am yours”) while foreseeing the day the child strikes out on her own. Most important, she says, “speak truth even if no one seems to be listening.” The pages give readers a compass for their own growth by modeling a loving parent’s dreams for her child. Ages 4–8. [em]Author’s agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Mar.) [/em]