Before I Grew Up

★ A Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings) Loveliest Children’s Book of 2021 ★

Using notebooks, paintings, and sketches, author John Miller (Winston and George) weaves a lyrical story about the childhood of an Italian artist named Giuliano Cucco. Through luminescent, emotionally rich images, Miller tells the story of a colorful family and an imaginative boy, from a time when children had the freedom to roam and to dream. This innovative picture book, sprung from images into words, is an ode to childhood and a celebration of the human spirit. It's also a celebration of the deep inner solitude that we possess as children, wherein we flourish. Here, our child protagonist is ripening on his own, and needs only three words from his father to help him confirm who he believes himself to be.