The Children’s Book Review | October 16, 2018
Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave
Written and Illustrated by Jessica Hische
Age Range: 3-7 years
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Penguin Workshop (October 16, 2018)
ISBN: 978-1524787011
What to expect: Beautiful, Stylish, Inspirational
In many ways, Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave is as much an art object as it is a children’s book. With words and images by celebrated artist Jessica Hische—whose lettering and illustration clients have included Wes Anderson, Barnes & Noble, the United States Postal Service, and Starbucks—it is a remarkable visual pleasure.
The book is constructed as a series of inspirational sentiments, “Tomorrow I’ll be adventurous, I’ll play and I’ll explore,” “Tomorrow I’ll be strong, I’ll climb and jump and run,” “Tomorrow I’ll be creative, I’ll color and draw for hours, I’ll play a game of make-believe and use my magical powers!” spoken by a bunny who is ready for bed. This makes for lyrical, intimate reading at bedtime, and it’s quite unique to have a bedtime book turn so poetically toward the day to come, building up confidence and expectation even as the present day is drawing to a close.
Words like Creative, Brave, and Strong are given center stage in these phrases, and here Jessica Hische truly exhibits her talent for lettering and illustration: each word is drawn in such a way as to embody its own nature. Thus, the word Confident has a knight (the bunny in armor) standing above a fire-breathing dragon who is entwined within the word, confidently facing it down, while the word Smart is illustrated as letters composing a series of (smartly) interlocking puzzle pieces.
The animals who populate and animate the book, running around these central words and enacting their various meanings, are likewise beautifully, uniquely, and intelligently rendered. This is a beautiful and thoughtful book that will reward multiple readings, as parents and children alike examine the intricate resonances of words as they are brought so remarkably into life.
Available Here
About the Author-Illustrator
Jessica Hische grew up in Pennsylvania. She currently lives in San Francisco, where she works as a letterer, illustrator, type designer, and relentless procrastiworker. Clients include Wes Anderson, Dave Eggers, The New York Times, Tiffany & Co., OXFAM America, McSweeney’s, American Express, Target, Victoria’s Secret, Chronicle Books, Nike, and Samsung.
Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave, written and illustrated by Jessica Hische, was reviewed by Trevor Jockims. Discover more books like Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Bedtime Stories and Inspirational Books.
