When I Grow Up (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In this picture book about a young child’s dream of being older and bigger, a kid finds models of growing up in the natural world around him. The concept works beautifully, from the raindrop that becomes the fastest river running through the hills and the small green sprout that will be the tallest tree, to the caterpillar that will be transformed into a butterfly and the shadow that will be “the gentlest night full of dreams.” On each unframed double-page spread, the bright, clear acrylic paintings have a small cut-out window to the next page, and the book’s climax shows a holistic scene of connections between earth, sky, and water. As the boy draws with his crayons, he knows he will grow up to be like his dad, who swings him high and folds him into a loving embrace. Preschool. --Hazel Rochman

Product Description

"What will I be when I grow up?" asks a little boy. The world around him supplies inspiring answers: A raindrop grows up to be a fast-running river. A green shoot grows up to be a tall and mighty tree. A shadow grows up to be a gentle night full of dreams.

In the end, the boy's greatest inspiration comes from the simplest of sources: his father's love.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545085977
• ISBN-13: 978-0545085977
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #803,819 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When I Grow Up - Reviewed by Peter Pan, July 19, 2009

By	Sacramento Book Review "SacramentoBookReview.com" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

Children want to be like many people when they grow up. As parents, it is our obligation to empower them to be the best that they can be for themselves and for other people. //When I Grow Up// reminds me of a situation that happened in my childhood. I remember sitting with my aunts and uncles during one of our dinner reunions. This was always a time for bragging amongst my relatives and my Grandpa would just smile every time they blurted out their most recent accomplishments. "I designed that new cosmopolitan building along the Manila Pacific Freeway", "I was sent to Europe by my boss to further advance my career in Intellectual property', "I was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos to be the Chief-of-staff"... and so on, and so forth. And then they went on about what their goals are for the next year... "I want to close this Million-Peso contract", "I want to travel and represent my Boss to foreign clients next year", "I want to run for the Philippine Senate" etc... In the back of my head I was waiting for them to say just one thing. Then I couldn't help it, I went and approached my Grandpa and whispered to him "Grandpa, when I grow up I want to be just like you".

//When I Grow Up// touched my heart in a most earnest and genuine manner. The simple and brief writing in the book elicited heartfelt emotions and strong memories which can only be described in much more verbose terms than those found in the book itself. Some people achieve their goals and become successful and fail to see why they have attained that status. If children did not get the support, love and caring they needed during the formative years of first to seventh year while growing up, chances are they would not have been molded to be the best that they can be. These things are demonstrated in //When I Grow Up// in far fewer words than those in this review, in fact, and that's the beauty of it.

Leonid Gore who was born in Minsk in the former Soviet Union was once a little boy too who wanted to be an airplane with two propellers but later became an artist instead and the front cover is a clear depiction of his childhood. In this book, Gore does a splendid job of illustrating and presenting the endless possibilities of greatness using small and simple things in nature like a raindrop, a chick, a caterpillar, a shadow and a sprout with the strategically made cut outs within the pages of the book. This is a heartwarming and uplifting book and I recommend any mom or dad to use //When I Grow UP// as a reading tool to nurture and further fortify the foundation of love with your child.

Reviewed by
Kaye Cloutman

5.0 out of 5 stars Great job, September 3, 2009

By	Steven R. McEvoy "MCWPP" (Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is another excellent picture book for children from Scholastic Press. It is the story of a young boy who asks the question "What will I be when I grow up?" and he gets lots of answers, from a raindrop, from a green sprout, from a caterpillar, from a little chick, and from his shadow. Each of the things he meets is cut out of the pages and on one page they are one thing and on the flip something else. Nice shapes and sizes make these interesting additions for the children reading the book. Yet in the end he decides he wants to be just like his father. This book is a nice oversized picture book, with great illustrations painted by the author. It's a book I look forward to sharing with my son as he gets older.