"Long before you took your place in this world. You were dreamed of, like a knapsack full of wishes, carried on the backs of your ancestors as they created empires, pyramids, legacies." A poetic second-person text addressed to Black children begins by speaking of the universe and ancestors before moving on to the specifics of a contemporary child's life. The gentle parental voice traces a child's life from the time they are born through first steps and first words, to triumphs and struggles at school (learning to read, your name mispronounced), to current struggles in their world. Moving back into an affirmation connecting the child to the universe and all the ancestors who have come before, the text reasserts that every child matters. Collier's striking collage and watercolor illustrations show a variety of Black people, but the central focus is one young boy, whom we see from infancy to about age ten. The illustrations also integrate colorful quilts with pieces representing the long line of ancestors who have led to a particular child. (Ages 4-8)