When You Dream Big!

Written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Orchard Books

978-1-339-00035-0

40 pp.

Ages 4–8

March 2026 

 

All of us will remember being asked what we'd like to be when we grow up. It's a rite of passage to be asked, to answer with something practical or unlikely, and then to change our minds. Knowing what you want to be when you grow older is a challenge. Ah, but dreaming big may be the start of a grand future. 

From When You Dream Big! written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

When their teacher, Miss Rayna, plans a Dream Big Week, during which her students would share their dream jobs by writing them on colourful wings, Charley is stumped. Her classmates are enthusiastic about their ideas of going to mars, becoming an actor, or building a bridge across the ocean. They want to be engineers, astronauts, and artists. But Charley has no idea.  

From When You Dream Big! written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

As she ponders and stresses about dreaming big, Charley becomes immobilized with anxiety. It's only when she focuses on her feet—"Ten toes — all pointing in the right direction" (pg. 20)—that she feels grounded enough to go on. The next morning, she awakens inspired by her dreams. She may not know what she wants to do when she grows up, but she know who she wants to be.

 

When You Dream Big! is less about doing than it is about being. Having dreams about your future job is normal, whether you're seven or twenty-seven. The dream can guide you in your education and your interests, and it can propel you to work hard. But dreaming about the future can be as much about who you will be as a person as what job you will have. Will you be adventurous? Will you be more assertive? Will you be responsible and caring? Peter H. Reynolds gives us a character who feels anxiety about the big dreams she's supposed to have and shows us that she's always had the right stuff to dream big, even if it is different than the dreams of her classmates. Even better, Peter H. Reynolds's Charley helps her classmates to dream big about who they can be, not just what they will do. 

From When You Dream Big! written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

When I read Peter H. Reynolds's books, I always feel like someone has taken my hand. It's the hand of understanding, of compassion, and of guidance. He does this with his uplifting words and his heartfelt art. His text resonates with the voice of children who worry about their abilities or ideas, who compare themselves to others, and who feel joy when supported. Those same feelings come through in Peter H. Reynolds's pen and watercolour illustrations. Beyond the classroom posters of positive messages, he uses colour tellingly. His golds and purples are as reassuring as his words, and he spreads joy and reveals distraction and worry with colour and an effective use of line. His characters are fabulously diverse, and convincing in themselves. (Colby, a boy in a "Be You" shirt wants to make people smile more, while Josh wants to sleep a lot.) 

 

There is no one way to dream big, and Charley and her classmates and Miss Rayna all learn that this is true. With this epiphany comes relief, encouragement, and even creativity. So, when you dream big, good stuff can happen, even if it's not the dream coming true. (But maybe it will.)

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.