Amazon Best Books of the Month, February 2011: Eight-year-old Billy gives a flamboyant show-and-tell presentation, reciting for the class and his hapless teacher Mrs. Krupp, all the professions he has in mind for his future. From master snail trainer to dinosaur-dusting museum curator, the possibilities he imagines are seemingly endless. Billy’s great-grandfather is his inspiration, having had many different jobs and who, at age 103, still doesn’t know what he wants to be. Billy’s carefree enthusiasm is contagious, and the bubbling rhythm of When I Grow Up makes it a lively read-aloud.--Seira Wilson
Amazon Exclusive: A Q&A with Al Yankovic
Q: Did you know what you wanted to be when you were Billy’s age?
Yankovic: When I was eight? I think chronologically that was sometime after I wanted to design miniature golf courses but before I wanted to be a writer for MAD magazine. I’ll guess that was about the time when I wanted to be a fireworks-maker. Thankfully I didn’t blow any fingers off.
Q: What is the weirdest job you’ve ever had?
Yankovic: I was an accordion repo man. During my summer breaks from college, I had a job giving accordion lessons to kids at a local music school. The kids usually didn’t own their own accordions, so we had to lend the instruments out . . . for as long as they were still taking lessons. If they ever stopped taking lessons and didn’t return the instrument, it was a job for . . . Accordion Repo Man!
Actually, it wasn’t all that difficult—usually they were more than happy to hand the accordions back.
Q: Kids talk about being “grown up” a lot. Heck, we all do. What does it mean to be “grown up”?
Yankovic: I think it somehow involves the ability to grow hair in disgusting places.
Being “grown up” obviously means different things to different people. To most folks, I assume the definition has something to do with the added responsibilities of adulthood and the ability to make more important decisions about one’s own life. Growing up is an important transition, and hopefully a very positive one—although, strangely, whenever somebody told me to “Grow up!” as a kid, it was rarely meant as loving, constructive advice.
Of course, if you define “growing up” as having to jettison every last shred of one’s childlike wonder of the world . . . well, then I hope I never grow up.
Q: At one point Billy ponders becoming an “artist who sculpts out of chocolate mousse.” That sounds scrumptious . . . and hard! If you could sculpt something out of mousse, what would you create?
Yankovic: Well, of course, I’d make the mousse into a moose! What else? I mean, I hate to be obvious, but I just can’t resist homonyms…
Q: Do you have any advice for kids who are already thinking about what to be when they “grow up”?
Yankovic: Hey, it’s a terrific thing to think about. By all means, explore your options. Find your passions in life. And always remember: It’s never too late to change your mind.
In his debut children’s book, the comic “Weird Al” Yankovic celebrates individuality in an exuberantly odd, rhyming story about an eight-year-old who cannot wait to share what he will be when he grows up. Maybe he’ll be a gorilla masseuse or an artist who sculpts out of chocolate mousse. As the boy’s fantasies about his future get wilder and wilder, Hargis’ hilarious, detailed illustrations in clear line and watercolor extend the uproarious nonsense, as in a scene in which the boy imagines himself as a “big sumo wrestler or hedge-fund investor / Or smelly pit-sniffing deodorant tester.” The pictures also show the boy’s strong bond with his great-grandfather, who, at 103, is still not sure what he wants to be. Along with the imaginative play, the farce and parody make this a rare book with appeal to both kids and adults. Preschool-Grade 3. --Hazel Rochman
Review
“A rare book with appeal to both kids and adults.” -- Booklist
From the Back Cover
'Cause maybe I'll be a gorilla masseuse
Or an artist who sculpts out of chocolate mousse
Or a rodeo clown or a movie director
Or maybe professional pickle inspector...
Billy's classmates may have never considered careers in snail training or sumo wrestling before, but by the time the exuberant eight-year-old is done cataloging his dream jobs, they just might share his belief in unlimited potential!
Virtuoso wordplay, irresistible rhythm, and laugh-out-loud humor abound in the first picture book by the one and only "Weird Al" Yankovic. This unbridled celebration of creativity and possibility invites readers of all ages to consider afresh what they want to be when they grow up.
About the Author
Known for more than thirty years as America's premier satirist of popular music and culture, "Weird Al" Yankovic has had almost as many careers as Billy can dream of. Advised by his father to do whatever made him happy, he has accordingly been a comedian, singer/songwriter, music producer, actor, director, and writer—often all at the same time. Mr. Yankovic has won three Grammy Awards and has sold more comedy recordings than anyone else in history. He lives with his family in Southern California.
Wes Hargis wanted to be a professional dirt miner when he grew up. Unstable market prices for dirt led him to pursue his second love, and he has been an illustrator for more than fifteen years. Mr. Hargis lives with his family (and his dirt) in Arizona.
