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If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility

If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility

4.8

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Author(s)

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Olivia Sua

Publisher

Candlewick

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

March 04, 2025

ISBN

978-1536219791

Buy This Book

An ode to imagination and the power of “if,” this exhilarating poetry collection features the voices of thirty-one diverse poets.

If I could choose a best day
it would be sunny
it would be summer

and I would be with you.

Imagine what you could do with if. Build a tree house, ride your bike back in time, catch a firefly like a tiny star in the palm of your hands and let it go to make a wish—anything, when it starts with if. Because if is where your imagination begins, where the impossible becomes possible, if only you imagine. And if you do, just think of how much better our world could be. Thirty-one poets, selected by “poetic forever friends” and frequent collaborators Irene Latham and Charles Waters, begin each of their poems with the word if and imagine the possibilities the gift of if can hold. Olivia Sua’s cut-paper and painted-mosaic illustrations add warmth and meaning to the poems, allowing the reader’s mind to soar with possibility. In an end note, the anthologists offer insight into their selection process, aimed at gathering a comprehensive and representative collection of poems.

With poems by:
Lacresha Berry * Robyn Hood Black * JaNay Brown-Wood * Joseph Bruchac * Siv Cedering * Emily Dickinson * Rebecca Kai Dotlich * Nikki Grimes * Jolene Gutiérrez * Georgia Heard * Anna Grossnickle Hines * Irene Latham * Renée M. LaTulippe * Nancy Tupper Ling * Sylvia Liu * Rebekah Lowell * Vikram Madan * Guadalupe García McCall * Lilian Moore * Eric Ode * Bob Raczka * Lisa Rogers * Sydell Rosenberg * Laura Purdie Salas * Janice Scully * Teresa Owens Smith * Gabi Snyder * Sarah Grace Tuttle * Amy Ludwig VanDerwater * Charles Waters * Janet Wong

Editor review

1 review

A Collection of Poems Exploring Concepts of "If"

March 12, 2025 (Updated: July 01, 2026)

Overall rating

4.8

Plot

5.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

This collection of poetry provides you with various poems by various poets that all explore the concept of if. Each poem highlights the power of if when combined with imagination.

What I Liked: This book is separated into different sections for the types of poems that you can expect to see. These sections are everyday magic, the power of you, kinfolk and companions, and anything is possible. Each of these sections contains poems that relate to the overarching theme of if, such as If We Were Rich, The Gift of If, and If I Imagine Sunlight Made Me. The various “ifs” that are brought up throughout the book all reflect on this concept in positive manners rather than looking at what ifs in a way that reexamines things from our past. These what-ifs allow us to dream and think about other scenarios that expand our imagination.

The illustrations throughout this book make each page come alive as you can imagine all the ifs that each poem talks about. The images are open-ended so you can still imagine what if the things throughout the poem came true. The what-if questions are fascinating to ponder and see what children of various ages come up with when you pose one simple question to them from the book.

Final Verdict: If I Could Choose a Best Day is a fun and imaginative collection of poems that take you on various journeys as you let your imagination wander about if. This book is perfect for children ages 7 and up as they begin to let their imaginations run wild and see the various things they come up with as they ponder what-ifs. This book is also great for adults to serve as a reminder that we should always ask ourselves “if” in positive ways and allow our imagination to let us dream big.