Review of All the Things You'll Do!

All the Things You'll Do is the first children's book by author and educator Kevin Glavin. It's a rhyming journey through all of the wonderful firsts in a young child's life, being sung to him by his parents. He is their first child and they can't wait to celebrate all of his wonderful firsts with him. They talk about the first time he rides a bike, learns how to cook, reads a ton of books, and so much more.


Illustrations by Sarah Grepo show the child at various stages of life. For some of his accomplishments, she demonstrates how he will do them again and again, such as running carefree through the grass, reading lots of books, and more. I like how it shows that some of these things happen many times as lifelong habits. Sometimes, it feels like the child's age in the illustrations is a little out of chronological order. Then again, children do not always master activities or have experiences at the same age.

The back of the book has pages for the child to make a list of his goals and to document whether or not he has met them each year, for ten years. He can add photos and any other bits of memorabilia. He can also then reflect on how much he was able to accomplish over a ten-year span. Part of the reasoning is that if you write down your goals, you are more likely to actually achieve them. This makes this more than just a picture book for kids; it's a scrapbook and keepsake that they can cherish for years to come.

Readers can also visit the website at allthethingsyoulldo.com to report on accomplishments, check out the upcoming activities section, or to learn the song that accompanies the book.


I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.