SONGS FOR OUR SONS

Rhyming narration gifts words of advice and encouragement to a newborn child.

In celebration of the arrival of a new child, the narrator shares dreams for their future. Whether the child grows up to be “a sequined sparkler” or a “soil-squelching mud sculptor,” the narrator hopes they will be a curious, kind “champion of change” who rejoices in differences, including their own. Throughout, the narrator addresses their words to “you,” which could refer to the “child of moonbeams” born on the first page or to the audience. Many of the lines rhyme, but the text does not sustain a set rhyme scheme. Similarly, no consistent rhythm carries through the lines. The title suggests a book especially for sons. In this light, the words offer a countermessage to societal expectations for boys that affirms a spectrum of expression, validates feelings, and does not shame the need to cry. However, as in the (nearly) simultaneously publishing companion, Dreams for Our Daughters (Sept. 29), Doyle uses no other gendered descriptors, apart from the instance of “sons” in the title. Whimsical illustrations of giant flowers, costume play, and mud-dinosaur sculpting in combination with the soft color palette help set the tone of lighthearted tenderness. Dynamic arrangements of the words and the illustrations around them add a sense of movement and liveliness, amplified by the larger-than-typical trim. Fanciful scenes of children exploring their surroundings reflect a racial diversity. 

A gentle, hopeful dream for a kinder world.