Early Book Review: What Would it Be Like by McArthur Krishna, Ayeshe Sadr, and Ishaan Dasgupta

What Would it Be Like is a picturebook by McArthur Krishna, Ayeshe Sadr, and Ishaan Dasgupta which is currently scheduled for release on June 28 2016. This encouraging book follows one young girl on her adventure to the library where she learns about an array of real-life women who made history with their bold ambitions finding out that girls can do anything! Would you like to sail the seas as a pirate like Jacquotte Delahaye? Swing, flip and sparkle as a trapeze artist like Antoinette Concello? Work toward making the world a better place as the president of a country, or touch lives as a mother? Readers will learn about amazing women who followed their dreams and believed anything was possible, while also learning that often the best thing to be is yourself!

What Would it Be Like is a book that encourages readers to research the things that interest them. It focuses on the careers and achievements of women, in hopes of encouraging girls to follow their dreams and do what inspires them. Each page shows the young character wondering what it would be like to be in a different profession, or spending their time differently. Whether it is as a trapeze artist, pirate, astronaut, or mother each choice is given with equal importance and respect. For specific careers there is a name suggested for library research or further reading, along with more details in the back of the book. The encouragement for this research and further exploration really made the book for me, because it is all well and good to say that you can follow your dreams and be whatever you want, but without showing what people have gone through to find their own success I find it to be a little hollow. So i have to applaud those that worked on the book for not just writing the expected platitudes, but by following it up with facts and the suggestion to continue independent researcher in the search for their own right path.

What Would it Be Like is an inspiring book, with great intention and results. I love the encouragement and inspiration it can bring to young readers, and the push toward not only follow your dreams and be yourself but to do research and find role models to help further encourage young people.