In Something, Someday, Amanda Gorman tells one story with her words while Christian Robinson suggests another with his pictures. Intertwining text and art on the same page results in an exquisitely complementary achievement that amplifies each half to produce a remarkable whole.
Gorman's first book for children, Change Sings: A Children's Anthem, debuted in 2021 after she made history as the youngest presidential inaugural poet. Change is again at the heart of her verses here, about effecting change when "you're sure/ There's something wrong." Despite discouragement, Gorman eschews sadness, fear, confusion, and anger. Finding "someone who will hope with you," who will work together toward "something that makes you feel/ Hopeful, happy, and loved," can make dreams come true. By using general words--sometimes, someday, somewhere, someone, something--Gorman deftly ensures her verses will find resonance in any challenging situation that encourages committed participation to enable change.
Caldecott Honoree Robinson (Last Stop on Market Street illustrator) solidifies Gorman's words with a glorious, brilliantly specific narrative. Gorman's unnamed "problem" becomes a neighborhood blighted by growing mounds of garbage. A determined child first cleans up the mess, then takes the extra step of planting a garden. Robinson's signature paint and collage art is dynamic, with visible brushstrokes that add layered texture to walls, clothing, and leaves. Each page announces and celebrates the diversity--socioeconomic, ethnicity, ability, age--among the neighbors.
Gorman and Robinson are both leaders in their respective fields. Their joint creation becomes a powerful antidote to doubters and naysayers, emphatically bearing witness that "the tiniest things/ Make a huge difference." --Terry Hong, BookDragon