What does it mean to be a boy? That is the question this book ponders. A young boy explores a powerful landscape accompanied by a doting adult. As he walks and observes he considers expectations of a boy such as, ‘You’re told how to be like the sure-standing mountains or white-roaring oceans, or sky-shifting thunders.’ Such descriptions suggest power and strength. This young boy considers opposite views a boy might hold such as the ‘sweetness of dancing,’ the ‘softness of music’ and ‘the power of healing.’
Without undue didacticism, the boy struggles with expectations that he will behave in a certain way while his emotions and feelings suggest there are other options. As he considers his thoughts and addresses the reader, we too learn the lightness of kindness, the brightness of happy and the brilliance of being. The powerful background landscapes which the boy shares with a doting adult reflect these wide-ranging emotions.
In the Story Box Hub source, the author-illustrator reveals he was pressured by his peers when growing up. That became the basis for this story.
The rich descriptive text encourages readers to pause and read aloud examples like ‘sky-shifting thunders’ and ‘cruel-clawing wilds’ which evoke images for the reader. Majestic landscapes are presented in bold strokes, in both dark and light colours. These scenes on every page are a strong feature of this story too. Here then is an opportunity for adult and child to discuss attitudes towards boys’ behaviour in a nonjudgemental way.
Blake Nuto is a Learning Support and Enrichment teacher by day, author and illustrator by night and a father of three. ‘When You’re a Boy’ was Shortlisted for the CBCA Award for New Illustrator in 2024.
Picture Books for Older Readers
