If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It: How 25 inspiring individuals found their dream jobs

Written by Colleen Nelson and Kathie MacIsaac

Illustrated by Scot Ritchie

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-228-8

64 pp.

Ages 8-12

October 2022 

 

Although I could see teachers using If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It as a nifty catalogue of possible careers, this non-fiction book is more inspiration, depicting those who have dreamed big and followed those dreams to success.

From If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It by Colleen Nelson and Kathie MacIsaac, illus. by Scot Ritchie

Authors Colleen Nelson and Kathie MacIsaac have highlighted 26 individuals who have followed their dreams and achieved their dream jobs. From author to chief medical officer and smokejumper to play-by-play commentator, a wide variety of jobs in the creative arts, sports, trades, sciences, education, tech and more are covered. For each individual (and one pair) showcased, the authors have included a bio, a list of spin-off jobs, and young people inspired to follow a similar path.

From If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It by Colleen Nelson and Kathie MacIsaac, illus. by Scot Ritchie

Some of the individuals highlighted will be recognizable, such as author David A. Robertson (Sugar Falls, On the Trapline, When We Were Alone), Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Medical Officer, and Stephanie Harvey, pro gamer missharvey while others do their jobs with passion but without celebrity. Learning how they achieved their dream jobs, often through hard work, relevant education or experience, and perseverance, and how young people can try things to see if it's a path they'd like to follow are all included in each double-spread exposé. 

From If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It by Colleen Nelson and Kathie MacIsaac, illus. by Scot Ritchie

The completeness of this collection will be a worthwhile reference for career counsellors and kids thinking about where their passions may lead them, but it's also just a well-organized collective biography that informs and celebrates. From info boxes and a glossary, as well as a listing of types of skills needed as a foundation for those jobs, Colleen Nelson and Kathie MacIsaac cover all the bases in a comprehensive and captivating format. And with Scot Ritchie's playful cartoons reflecting the diversity and abundance of people and jobs showcased, If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It becomes less instructive and more colourful.

 

With a little bit of everything and everyone, Colleen Nelson and Kathie MacIsaac, with Scot Ritchie's illustrative additions, take us into the studios, schools, labs, and outdoors to meet the doers who endeavoured to find their dream jobs and now enrich our world in countless ways.

• • • • • • •

 

If you're fortunate to be in Winnipeg or thereabouts this week, Colleen Nelson and Kathie MacIsaac will be launching their new book on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 7 PM at McNally Robinson Booksellers, in Grant Park in the Atrium, Winnipeg, MB. It will also be  Streaming on YouTube, if you can't attend in person. Full details here.