In a world bursting with possibilities, what will you make today? Will you make believe? Will you make noise? Will you make a wish? Will you make an excuse? Will you make things right? Will you make up your mind? Will you make a difference?
What Will You Make Today? aims to show children how their choices can effect change and make an impact in their own lives, in the lives of others and in the world.
Maura Pierlot is an award-winning author and playwright whose debut picture book, The Trouble in Tune Town, won the 2018 ACT Writing and Publishing Award (Children’s category) and overseas honours. What Will You Make Today? is Pierlot’s latest non-fiction picture book that invites children to explore the many ways they can make a difference in the world.
I’ll be giving a copy of this picture book to every child I know – it’s fantastic! The message is simple: in a world where anything’s possible… what will you make today? This question sets the tone for the rest of the picture book. A series of questions subtly builds perspective from a personal standpoint, culminating in a holistic view of the world. Every question asked in this prompts the significance of the here and now, regardless of its magnitude.
Triandhika Anjani has loved reading (and looking at) picture books ever since she was small, and always dreamed of making illustrations for stories. And her illustrations completely shine here. Anjani’s illustrations move in tandem with Pierlot’s questions: seeing a child at home as ‘will you make breakfast?’ is asked, to children sitting around a sunset campsite as ‘will you make time to listen? Will you make yourself heard?’ are asked.
At the end of the book there’s a page illustrating the 6Cs of 21st-century learning: citizenship, collaboration, character, communication, creativity and critical thinking. They’re displayed in a sweet illustration of a plant growing, with the 6cs on the individual leaves, surrounded by a description of each. This element makes it ideal for classroom learning.
Through illustrations of children, nature and a vast forest throughout, there are undertone themes of community, individuality and caring for our environment. What Will You Make Today? would make a fantastic addition to home bookshelves and primary school classrooms, perfect for young dreamers and makers aged 4+.
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