libraryemma 's review for:

Rock What Ya Got by Samantha Berger, Kerascoët
5.0

An artist draws a girl and calls her Viva. But she decides Viva isn't quite right, and starts to erase her - but Viva won't let her! The artist wants to change Viva's hair, she tries out all different hair styles on a blank page, but Viva is still there, saying to "rock what ya got, and rock it a lot!"

Next the artist tries to change Viva's body, trying out all different bodies, but Viva is still there, saying to "rock what ya got, and rock it a lot!"

After repeating the process with a background change, Viva asks the artist if she forgot to rock what she's got - and points to a desk drawer. The artist takes out a page that says "Rock what ya got!" that she had written herself once upon a time. The artist decides that Viva is perfect as she is, gives her a hug (and we see that they look very similar) and promises never to forget to rock what she's got. Then together they turn to a blank page "where anything could happen."

I LOVE the art in this book! It looks like the artist's notebook, with textured paper and all kinds of marks and spills and doodles. Viva is a simple sketch that comes off the page and asserts her own existence - just as she is!