Something, Someday opens in a new tab
Amanda Gorman, author
Christian Robinson, illustrator
Viking Books, 2023.
Open the book, look at the end page because this story begins before the title page.
You are told
That this is not a problem.
But you’re sure
There’s something wrong.
This is a story about resilience, compassion and the power of persistence. Amanda Gorman takes us on a trip through an urban neighborhood in which a young boy takes on the trash heap in front of his building and cleans up the debris to create a garden plot instead.
But someday, somewhere,
You find a friend.
Someone who will hope with you,
Who believes in your dream. Someone who will fight with you.
He’s joined by young friends and then older neighbors, and the community bonds as the garden flourishes. A fine read-aloud for readers wanting to share an optimistic, honest, empowering message that shows that even young kids can make positive change. And the book resonates with everyone at all ages through the hopeful message about the power of caring.
Suddenly, there’s something
You’re sure is right.
Something you know
You helped fix.
Something small that changed —
Something big.
Talented illustrator Christian Robinson offers young readers much to ponder in his bright, detailed drawings of the characters and their neighborhood: kids will want to “read” this book even if they can’t actually read yet. The art of collage displays the idea of what once was trash is transformed into beauty.
A key line in the poem is, “Until you’re no longer beginning. / You’re winning.” All of life is about beginning, over and over again, and trying to accomplish something, and sometimes we lose, and sometimes we win. Our boy in this story learns about friendship, helping one another, making promises, and the power of continuing to try. I think the reader feels immersed, as if they are also part of the story, and becomes empowered to change something in their own community.
The end paper at the end of the book portrays THE garden which comes from positive energy conveying that things can get better. This book may inspire readers on how they can make a difference with their small acts of community improvement (clean-up, planting flowers).
Amanda Gorman opens in a new tab is the youngest presidential inaugural poet in US history. She is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hill We Climb, and her children’s picture book Change Sings. Amanda is a committed advocate for the environment. She is a Global Changemaker, and helped establish the “Writing Change” initiative to support grassroots organizations dedicated to advancing literacy as a pathway to social change. Gorman’s work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, marginalization, racial equality, and gender justice, as well as the African diaspora. She lives in Los Angeles.
Christian Robinson opens in a new tab received a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor Award for his art in ‘Last Stop on Market Street’, written by Matt de la Peña. He lives in Oakland.
Submitted by Karen Kosko
