! B Y Diane Dillon C A L D E C O T T M E D A L W I N N E R
DON ’ T TELL ME I CAN ’ T I Can Be ! nything!
Diane Dillon
SCHOLASTIC INC.
Book design by Kathleen Westray.
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Copyright © 2018 by Diane Dillon. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. Made in North Point, Hong Kong. 137
ISBN-13: 978-1-338-54605-7 ISBN-10: 1-338-54605-8
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Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
For Bonnie,
the encouraging and loving voice
w
And to Maeve and Harper,
who are just beginning the journey
to know all they can be
T H I S BOOK I S D E D I CAT E D
TO D I S COU R AG I NG
T H E F R I GH T E N E D ,
N E GAT I V E L I T T L E VO I C E
I N OU R H E A D S
T H AT K E E P S U S F ROM
B E I NG A L L WE CA N B E .
“ I
can be anything I want to be.” Zoe stretched her arms and
spun around.
6
“I’m a bird. I can fly way up high, floating on the wind!”
What if you fall? said a little voice.
7
“I won’t fall. Birds have wings. If my wings get tired, I can fly in a rocket ship to a faraway planet.
8
I’ll meet planet people and have a tea party before I come home.”
What if you can’t get home? said the voice.
9
Zoe ignored the voice. “I can be an archeologist and travel around the world, and dig up dinosaur bones and buried treasures.”
10
What if you get homesick? You’re too little , said the voice.
11
“No, I’m not. I’m bigger than you. Maybe I’ll be a scientist and discover things, or I’ll be an inventor and build a robot that will talk louder than you — so I won’t hear you.”
12
The voice was quiet for a while.
13
“I’ll be a veterinarian and help wild animals like tigers and bears and dragons, and I’ll give them medicine to make them well, and I’ll bandage their hurts.”
14
What if they bite you? said the voice.
“I’ll be so gentle they won’t bite me. They will know I am helping them.”
15
“Oh, I know. I’ll be a fire girl and rescue people. I’ll drive a big fire engine with a loud siren that goes weoooo , weoooo , and rescue a kitty stuck in a tree.”
16
You can’t drive a fire engine. That’s silly , said the voice.
17
“That’s not silly. I can be anything I want to be, and don’t tell me I can’t. I’ll be an artist and paint pictures, and a museum will hang them up so people can see them.”
18
What if you don’t have talent? said the voice.
19
“Everybody has talent for something, and so do I. Besides, I’m smart. I can do anything if I try hard enough, and you won’t stop me.
20
I can even be an ornithologist who studies birds, or an oceanographer who explores the ocean . . .
21
. . . or I can be a musician and give concerts all around the world.
22
I can even be President if I want to be. You’re just a voice, and I don’t have to listen to you.”
23
But I’m always with you , you know , said the voice. No matter what you do .
24
“You better be quiet, or I’ll be an alligator and eat you up!” said Zoe.
The voice didn’t have an answer to that. It was silent again.
25
“I can be an astronomer and study the stars
26
with a big telescope and discover new planets.”
27
“I’ll be a famous chef and bake fancy cakes as tall as I am, and I’ll write a book about my recipes.”
28
You can’t write, the voice came back.
29
“But I’m learning how to write in school. Maybe I’ll be a teacher and teach other kids how to write, or I’ll be a librarian and have a zillion books to share with everyone.”
30
You don’t know what you want to be, do you? said the voice. “Go away, voice. I won’t listen to you. I’m not grown-up yet. I can be anything . . .
31
. . . but first I have to read . . . and read . . . and read! And I’ll read books about all the things I can be. Don’t tell me I can’t!”
32
I C A N B E ! N Y T H I N G ! astronaut archeologist scientist inventor veterinarian firefighter artist ornithologist oceanographer musician president astronomer chef teacher librarian athlete actor chiropractor salesperson pharmacist radiologist physical therapist social worker novelist tutor farmer explorer acrobat carpenter gardener political activist chemist bookseller photographer video artist dancer cartoonist composer masseuse engineer police officer security guard dentist web developer architect clerk singer arborist pilot forest ranger fundraiser jeweler acupuncturist animal trainer plumber weaver curator senator nurse researcher surgeon director historian seamstress healer environmentalist philosopher poet martial artist mechanic rancher caretaker economist postal worker geologist electrician computer specialist psychologist publisher comedian banker accountant sculptor designer judge attorney biologist midwife counselor professor journalist filmmaker nutritionist
zookeeper mountain climber doctor editor reporter secretary physicist
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