I Am Able to Shine

In this heavy-handed picture book from married cocreators Watari and Wu, young Keiko, cued as Japanese American, wishes to “change the world and shine.” Watari’s framing showcases the child’s positive personality traits—offset in bold, colorful type—including kindness, perseverance, determination, and hope, en route to maturation and, in a sudden pivot, parenthood and U.S. presidency. Incidents of discrimination are undercontextualized, failing to clearly address the real cause of the child’s distress (as a barre-ful of white ballerinas stare, Keiko wonders, “Why can’t others see me the way I do? I am a good person”), but the book offers a determinedly optimistic take on resilience and maturation. Wu’s fluidly lined watercolor, pencil, and digital artwork integrates elements of Japanese culture, further discussed in an author’s note, alongside a secondary cast of varying skin tones and body types. Ages 4–8. (May)