*Survival of the Flutist by Marianne Gedigian (2015) is a story that is appropriate for a child who wants to be any kind of successful artist. The child at the beginning of this story “wanted to succeed in music more than anything else.” Success was defined as becoming principal flute, attaining fame, and receiving adoration from their peers. (This is the first picture book I’ve read that uses the third person for the gender pronoun.) After graduating from university, this person found that success didn’t appear as they expected. The journey to success involved trial and error, discovery and growth. At the end of the book, “They started things, finished things, and stuck with things in that long slow middle.” Success took many forms. “Our flutist was awake, alive, and grateful.” Hear the author talk about this picture book here.
