I’m not sure it lives up to the hype printed on the gold sticker on the cover which proclaims it, “A natural successor to Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” but it does share a similar philosophical bent on the nature of growing up. The text is fairly repetitive: a series of rhyming “before the X…” statements. The point is made via the illustrations, which use a page-turning format to show the struggles that come before each accomplishment/joy/milestone in life. They follow a sequence from the messy kitchen preceding the first birthday cake, to practicing as a student driver before becoming an independent driver, to the studying that leads to graduation. It does point out in the end that for every try you may fail, or you may fly, but what is important is what you learn in the trying.