IF I WERE PRESIDENT

An aspiring president thinks big and small in this soliloquy about play and goodwill.

In this tale translated from Norwegian, a brown-skinned child shares dozens of intentions about how they would lead as “team captain for the whole country” (“because we’re all on the same team, after all”). The aspirations of the future leader range from silly to broad and heady. “Tables would be piled high with cookies” is followed by “grown-ups would have to go to kindergarten once a month to learn how to [play].” After dozens of ideas that bend and dance around each layout, promises get more serious and are in dialogue with daily news. “I’d make sure anyone having a hard time in their own country could come here to live with us” addresses the issues faced by refugees and immigrants; there are other pledges about fiscal responsibility, the environment, and social assistance. Even though the ideas are either chuckle-inducing or heartwarming (or both) across the board, the sheer number of thoughts will make this drag on for some and overwhelm others. Negative space, bright crayon scribbles and drawings, and fingerprint art offer light whimsy. Spreads are busy with art and arcs of small text might be hard to see for some, but for others it allows the action to take center stage. Characters are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Earnest but long-winded.