PPBF: One Can Be

Happy August; don't you just love a serene summertime sunset?

This shot was taken on our farm in Wisconsin, not too far from where

the author of today's PPBF lives, so let's dig in to see what One Can Be.

Title: ONE CAN BE

Author: Pat Zietlow Miller

Illustrator: Annie Cron

Publisher: Beaming Books

Birth date: September 2, 2025

Suitable for: ages 4-7

Themes: introversion, friendship, service

Brief synopsis: Though we are wired for connection, some friends recharge from being alone rather than in crowds. But is it an either/or, or can we refuel both ways? And how does the energy change when synergy is involved? Let's find out on the pages of this lyrical newcomer.

Opening page:

One.

Alone.

No one else nearby.

Resources: Read a Kirkus review {here}.

Read a School Library Journal review {here}.

Preorder a copy from Beaming Books {here}.

Read 8 Signs You Might Be An Introvert {here}.

Why I like this book: First, it's SO poetic. Using couplets and triplets so masterfully, Pat Zietlow Miller has perfected the craft of wordsmithing in this gem. Simple, yet powerful. From the inside out.

Because it always takes one.

It takes a spark to get every fire going, right?

So the young person starts out alone ...

wondering ...

searching ...

stretching.

Enjoying not only solitude,

but quietude.

And peace.

I get it.

I appreciate the gift of being alone

more and more each day.

But then, a project that could use a few more hands.

But to have a friend, you've got to be a friend, right?

So off she wanders, to find some friends

so that one can become two and then {gasp!}

maybe even three? Plus a furry friend.

Next, the illustrations drew me in, for sure;

just look at the body language that's

written all over these poignant pages.

Finally, there are so many (more than just one)

extension and enrichment idea possibilities.

Allow plenty of time for a discovery read-aloud,

then ask your learners what they like to do alone.

I know that my husband prefers to fish alone.

He's more of an introvert, who refuels

from the inside out, in still water.

Then ask what they'd rather do in tandem.

I'm more of an extrovert, so I recharge

sitting next to someone.

Adjacency is my jam.

Especially when it's with a sibling!

Invite students to draw a side-by-side picture of themselves showing what they love to do alone and then with others to create a class-family visual display you can post outside your room.

Let this lead into a discussion about personality traits,

wants and needs, introversion vs. extroversion.

Remind students that alone and together

are equally valuable, both beneficial,

just different ways to energize.

Finally, use the book as a springboard to find

all of the Little Free Libraries in your town.

Do you have some books that you could share?

Or maybe there's a Blessings Box filled with

non-perishable food rather than books

that your class can donate to?