Book Review: What Kind of Man Will I Be?
What Kind of Man Will I Be? by Joshua and Alex Kestrel
Second release of Little Frog Hill, an imprint of Antelope Hill Publishing.
38 pages, 11″x8.5″
Review by Sarah Dye
What Kind of Man Will I Be is a gift to our people.
As a homeschool mother, we have spent a lot of time at the public library over the years, and I have become increasingly disappointed in the selection of new children’s material. The majority of the books feature non-white characters as heroes, while any White characters you encounter are undoubtedly socially maladjusted, mentally ill, or disabled. Those books are damaging to White children not only because they are intentional propaganda, but because they dominate the juvenile fiction section. It leaves very few books that healthy White children can identity with. It is so important for our children to consume interesting reading material that features inspirational characters and themes with which they can
identify. While we have access to many classics, there is a great need for
quality, new material.
Enter, What Kind of Man Will I Be? The book features a blonde-haired boy reflecting on the men (ancestors) who came before him. He ponders what his own future will look like while he mulls over various occupations and hobbies. The story has a catchy, rhyming pattern, and introduces “big” words which can prompt further discussion and education. For instance, I asked my seven-year-old, “What is a philosopher… an author… a composer?” This was a great opportunity to use these as vocabulary words to teach definitions, give examples of people from history, and their contributions to our folk.
Additionally, the story instills a positive lesson in how our actions effect not only ourselves, but our people as a whole. The book successfully drives home the importance of family and respect for our forefathers, with lines such as, “ Because every great man who lived before me helped influence the type of man I will be." This concept in itself may prompt a great discussion with children to further solidify the message.
My only critique is that I would prefer the illustrations to feature a more hardy and robust body type in the child character, as I have personally witnessed in modernity the theme of promoting White boys as frail and small. However, this is a very minor critique of an overall excellent children's book.
The book concludes with a perfectly apropos analogy in the form of an illustration of puzzle pieces. The nature and style of What Kind of Man Will I Be is such that it can be enjoyed at multiple stages throughout childhood. While the authors suggest up to age seven, my older children enjoyed the book as well. I highly recommend adding this book to your home library if you have or are planning to have children, or gifting it to a friend or family member.