From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 2—The imaginative young boy in this marvelous story has some unusual answers to a frequently asked question. The youngster, clad in overalls and a cap, dreams of being "a pumpkin grower," "puddle stomper," or "silly-joke teller." Both the lilting text and amusing watercolor and acrylic illustrations are full of energy. The boy runs and skips from one adventurous goal to the next, accompanied by rabbits, frogs, and other little creatures. His animal friends gaze at him through the window of a homey kitchen in his future role as a "mixing-bowl licker." When he imagines being a "baby-sis soother," the smiling child is dressed in an elephant costume, and his sister laughs. In the end, on a four-page foldout, the boy decides, "So many jobs!/They're all such fun—/I'm going to choose…/EVERY ONE!" This outstanding book pairs well with Leonid Gore's When I Grow Up (Scholastic, 2009) or Jeanie Franz Ransom's What Do Parents Do? (…When You're Not Home) (Peachtree, 2007).—Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Read more From Booklist Spinelli takes the common theme of kids wondering what to be when they grow up and gives it a charming twist. In rhyming phrases a young boy considers: “When I grow up, what shall I be? / Of all the many, many jobs, which one will be the best for me? Pumpkin grower / dandelion blower / paper-plane folder / puppy-dog holder.” Spinelli’s cunning touch is that all of the possibilities are things a kid can do right now, without having to go through all the pesky waiting of growing up. A gatefold at the end provides the solution: he is going to choose every one of them! The exuberant, larger-than-life watercolor-and-acrylic illustrations evoke the whimsy of the imagined scenarios and include a troupe of rabbits that appears somewhere on each page. A simple concept wonderfully executed. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Julie Cummins Read more P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Review * "[An] uplifting, imaginative vision of life's possibilities that suggests that there are no limits--not even the sky."―Publishers Weekly, starred review"Both the lilting text and amusing watercolor and acrylic illustrations are full of energy....[A] marvelous story."―School Library Journal Read more About the Author Jerry Spinelli is the author of over twenty-five immensely popular books for young readers, including Eggs; Stargirl; Space Station Seventh Grade; Newbery Honor Book Wringer; Maniac Magee, winner of more than fifteen state children's book awards in addition to the Newbery Award; and the picture books Mama Seeton's Whistle and I Can Be Anything! He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, Eileen. When Jimmy Liao was little he wanted to be several things: a painter, a magician, or a train driver. Eventually he became a painter who tries to create magic with pictures. (And who sometimes still dreams of being a train driver.) He is the author and illustrator of over thirty-two books that have been translated into nine languages worldwide. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called his first book with Little, Brown, The Sound of Colors, "exuberant." He lives in Taipei, Taiwan with his wife and daughter. Read more See more
