Whatever Comes Tomorrow

PreS-Gr 1–Throughout this comforting book, colorful, ethereal butterflies flit through the pages, reminding readers to focus on the beauty of life while accepting the certainty of change. In rhyming verse, Levington reminds children and their parents that life will be bittersweet, containing sorrow as well as joy: “Tomorrow may bring loneliness or laughter with a friend. Tomorrow may bring words that wound or ones that heal and mend.” It is important for children to know that they have inner strength, that the difficult moments will pass, and that if they let it, worry about an uncertain future will consume them. The author empowers students through simple language in the text: “You whisper, ‘I am strong.’ You tell those worries in your head, ‘I know I can. You’re wrong.’” She also offers “anxiety taming techniques” (including breathing, exercise, naming your emotions, and creating a worry plan) at the back of the book. Using water-based paints, pencils, and digital enhancement, Cabassa captures the joys (riding a bike with friends) and uncertainties (welcoming a new sibling) of childhood, but by showing twice as many smiles as frowns on the faces of the children, she also shows that all will work out in the end.