Roxy Rogers: Your Destiny is Calling by Emily Siskin-Toy is the story of Roxy who is born into a family of baseball lovers, all of whom have been involved in some way in the sport. From her great grandpa to her parents, to her sister, all have featured in the Hall of Fame. From a young age Roxy is encouraged in the game of baseball, and there is no doubt she is very good at the sport. Everyone in the family can see her potential and they have great plans for her. The problem is that Roxy doesn’t really want to play baseball. Her secret is that she loves to sing, and every minute she gets when she is not playing baseball or practising, she sings. But she feels she can never tell her parents because they have such high expectations for her. The author, Emily Siskin-Toy, has done a clever job of weaving a story around the premise that what parents want for their child may not always be what they themselves want. Beautifully illustrated by Brian C. Krumm, the story follows Roxy on her journey for stardom in baseball until something happens that completely changes Roxy’s life and she is able to show her parents what her real love is – in this case, her destiny. It’s a story that encourages children to talk about their own interests and desires and also shows parents that their children may not always want to do what is expected of them. There is also an interactive treasure hunt as well as some facts about famous baseball players which makes this a story that can be discussed. It would be good for a parent to read to a child, as well as an older child reading alone.
