When I Grow Up

by Tina Louise, Oliver Corwin (Illustrations)

Nature is full of extraordinary animals who can do extraordinary things. If animals can do it, why can't we? This book compares each animal's unique skills to possible careers for children. It shows that if we just look around us, amazing things are happening all the time.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2007

Reviews

[Margaret Sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's fair to say that, I have some issues with the messages in this book, which in my opinion are not properly thought through.....

ie.

'If a Monkey can be trained to care for the very sick, I can be a Nurse!'
Are you sure about this statement? It's essentially claiming that Nurses are equivalent to the intelligence of monkeys!!!!

likewise, 'If an elephant shakes hands with its trunk, I can be president of the united states!!!'
Forgive me; I'm from England, but it you are comparing an elephant using its trunk, to shake hands, with being a president, surely what is being conveyed is that an elephant can do a presidents job!!!! Surely, even in America, a presidents job requires a lot more acumen?????

'If a Tiger can show its young how to hunt, I can be a teacher!!!!' Is that not portraying that teachers learn to become predators????? and ultimately,

'If a male sea horse can give birth, I can be a magician!' leads one to believe that those with non-female genitalia can give birth!!!!!!! a freak of nature in the natural world at best.....

Great premise for a book, but shady examples. I'm Sorry, but look deeper at the messages this book sends, please.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just meh for me.

Very fluorescent bright.

The if-then's aren't actually related.

"If a spider can build a beautiful web, when I grow up I can be an architect!" Um....these two things aren't related?

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the big colorful illustrations - my son definitely responded to them. But the book left a lot to be desired. It hammered the same idea in again and again, using the same formula. If animal x can do y, then I can be anything I want to be. Not exactly logical. It's a fine moral, but I'd like to see a little more creativity in getting it across.

Oh, and the big glamour shot on the back cover? Dead giveaway that the book was published as much because of the author's star status as for the book's content.

[Tyffani Mine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fictional narrative is about various students of different races and ethnicities and their ideas about what they want to be when they get older. Author Tina Louise and Illustrator Oliver Corwin authentically compared the children and their career to unique animal and the natural world (ex. If a spider can build a beautiful web, when I grow up I can be an architect). In a literary sense, I could use the story to teach phonemes by highlighting the animal names such as elephant, seals, monkey etc. and using them to focus and sound.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read at preschool story time on 3/1/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[Savannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book about occupations a child wants to be and compares them to numerous animals.

[Mona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would recommend. Has multigender/races/ethnicities shown doing a wide variety of jobs.