What do you think?
Rate this book
When I Am Big
A Walk in the Forest introduced the enormously talented Maria Dek, and When I Am Big is a beguiling follow up to her first success. Charming illustrations and text encourage young children to explore what they can do as they grow up. The adventurous child imagines "I will tie my shoes all by myself, make 3 knots with big bows"; to eat twenty pizzas in one sitting, or walk animals, eight at a time, while teaching them tricks. When I Am Big is also an unconventional counting book, as it goes all the way to twenty-five. The result is a book that nourishes a child's curiosity, confidence, and delight in the world's wonders.
ebook
First published January 1, 2017
1 person is currently reading
82 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 11, 2025
My numbers obsessed 3 year old loves this book
February 4, 2025
Whimsical story about what a kid would do when they grow up. Little kids can practice counting too.
October 18, 2025
I love concept books (letters, numbers, shapes, etc) that go beyond the bland and commercial and use these building blocks of learning to create something magical.
Maria Dek's "When I Am Big" (2018) is one of these. With simple text and equally simple but gorgeous illustrations, she grabs hold of a child's imagination to count the wonderful things they look forward to doing as they get older.
Surpassing the usual 1-10 limits of a counting book, "When I Am Big" counts from one to twenty-five as the child narrator imagines doing things both realistic ("I will tie my shoes by myself, and make 3 knots with big bows") and slightly more whimsical ("I will build a roller coaster that has 17 cars and is 17 miles high").
"When I Am Big" has all the hallmarks of a classic, a timeless, beautiful, clever counting book that's sure to become a household favourite.
(And when your kids want more, check out the sequel, "When I Am Bigger: Counting Numbers Big and Small" (2021), which goes all the way to 100!)
Maria Dek's "When I Am Big" (2018) is one of these. With simple text and equally simple but gorgeous illustrations, she grabs hold of a child's imagination to count the wonderful things they look forward to doing as they get older.
Surpassing the usual 1-10 limits of a counting book, "When I Am Big" counts from one to twenty-five as the child narrator imagines doing things both realistic ("I will tie my shoes by myself, and make 3 knots with big bows") and slightly more whimsical ("I will build a roller coaster that has 17 cars and is 17 miles high").
"When I Am Big" has all the hallmarks of a classic, a timeless, beautiful, clever counting book that's sure to become a household favourite.
(And when your kids want more, check out the sequel, "When I Am Bigger: Counting Numbers Big and Small" (2021), which goes all the way to 100!)
September 13, 2023
"When I am Big" by Maria Dek is a counting picture book. I enjoyed this read. I really liked the illustrations in this one. They are very childlike and look like they were done with a crayon or marker. They are still sleek though, and represent the words on the page. I think a young child learning to count would like the simple and childlike drawings. The objects are against a white background which which would be helpful when pointing and counting them as a class. I would use this book to help my students practice counting to 25. It would also be useful to visual learners because each number is represented by the same number of objects. For example, when you get to 23, there are 23 small houses on the page and 9 puddles to show the number 9. If there were 25 students in a class, each student could read a page/number. This could also help them practice order and to wait for your turn. Overall, I would have this book in my classroom library.
April 23, 2018
Dek, Maria When I Am Big. PICTURE BOOK. Princeton Architectural Press, 2016. $18. 9781616896027
This book is about all the things you can do when you get bigger. It starts with counting one item and counts up to 25. You can eat a cone with 5 scoops of ice cream, have 8 animals, build a roller coaster with 17 cars, and so much more!
This could be used as a great counting book for children. There are some good ideas that will really appeal to kids for what they can do when they are bigger. For some, the artwork will appeal because of its child-like watercolor art. Others, may find it less appealing.
Pre-K, EL (K-3)- ADVISABLE. SLM
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
This book is about all the things you can do when you get bigger. It starts with counting one item and counts up to 25. You can eat a cone with 5 scoops of ice cream, have 8 animals, build a roller coaster with 17 cars, and so much more!
This could be used as a great counting book for children. There are some good ideas that will really appeal to kids for what they can do when they are bigger. For some, the artwork will appeal because of its child-like watercolor art. Others, may find it less appealing.
Pre-K, EL (K-3)- ADVISABLE. SLM
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
March 10, 2023
Seven jobs! One for each day of the week. I love how this book begins with the somewhat expected and wanders into the less and less expected, and then takes us back home.
The illustrations are so warm and inviting, with so much lovely space to live in.
The kids were fascinated by the hats, and by the diver. ("Why he naked?" they asked. "Well," I kept saying, he's got a swim suit on. "What he doing?" The truth is, I'm not sure what he's trying to catch in his net. Shells? Flesh-colored fish?)
I loved asking kids how many bears they wanted to live with. (Answers ranged from 600 to none.)
The illustrations are so warm and inviting, with so much lovely space to live in.
The kids were fascinated by the hats, and by the diver. ("Why he naked?" they asked. "Well," I kept saying, he's got a swim suit on. "What he doing?" The truth is, I'm not sure what he's trying to catch in his net. Shells? Flesh-colored fish?)
I loved asking kids how many bears they wanted to live with. (Answers ranged from 600 to none.)
April 28, 2025
The art style is like it was using marker. The concepts are pretty simple and the numbers are counting up. Instead of saying each thing the number counts towards, it just groups them together and the reader can guess. All kinds of different things on each page, you can't anticipate the next page. It includes lots of things that kids can relate to like animals and instruments. Some pages have two numbers on them which could be confusing for kids if they don't realize . For example numbers 14 and 15. It goes up to 25. Cute book that goes through the day.
March 23, 2021
Gorgeous, whimsical artwork. Would be a beautiful display book or prints for a children's room. A naturally integrated take on counting to a higher number (25), though there is not much of a thread holding it together or a story. Creates some fun discussion prompts for kids but some numbers seem like fillers, and the last number didn't really make sense (perhaps a translation issue).
May 2, 2018
Beautifully made book - unique spin on a counting book.
August 25, 2018
Fun illustrations and numbers to 25 make this ideal math storytime book for preschoolers and Kinders.
April 20, 2020
Whimsical illustrations and an unusual approach to counting. I wish the people depicted were more diverse, and that the font size were bigger to promote children's reading.
May 10, 2021
I got a kick out of the laugh-out-loud surrealism of this book. It truly captured the grandiose and imaginative way kids talk, especially when they are discussing the future.
Read
May 23, 2021The bears though...are there more illustrated musicians then 11?
September 28, 2021
"I liked that it was about counting. My favorite page was the stars because it looked like my cow jumping over the moon art." --Isaac, age 5
July 20, 2023
I love this thoughtful and beautiful counting book! It goes up to 25 with beautiful drawings. I also found it very conversational as you read with your little one.
September 3, 2023
I love the illustrations! The counting is fun and the bright colors pique interest!
July 8, 2024
Love the counting wishlist. Illustrations was my style.
June 5, 2019
Maria Dek, author-illustrator behind A Walk in the Forest, returns with When I Am Big, a wonderfully imaginative counting journey. From one to twenty-five, readers are taken on a marvelous counting journey (with an illustration corresponding to each number): from putting "6 spoonfuls of sugar in my coffee", living "in a tree house with 13 windows that look out on a volcano, the North Pole, and the Moon", to having "18 pet spiders"(!). When I Am Big is beautifully illustrated and unexpected read- one that may inspire readers to detail similar ideas of their own! Readers who like their picture books- and counting books!- on the side on whimsical and grand, or who enjoy authors and illustrators such as Sara O'Leary, Julie Morstad or Carson Ellis may especially adore this refreshing and unusual tale.
I received a copy of this title courtesy of Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.
August 14, 2018
ATA Storytime Kit -- Concepts
Note: This book can be read in storytime, or as a counting book.
A Walk in the Forest introduced the enormously talented Maria Dek, andWhen I Am Big is a beguiling follow up to her first success. Charming illustrations and text encourage young children to explore what they can do as they grow up. The adventurous child imagines "I will tie my shoes all by myself, make 3 knots with big bows"; to eat twenty pizzas in one sitting, or walk animals, eight at a time, while teaching them tricks.When I Am Big is also an unconventional counting book, as it goes all the way to twenty-five. The result is a book that nourishes a child's curiosity, confidence, and delight in the world's wonders.
Subject: Imagination -- Juvenile fiction.
Growth -- Juvenile fiction.
Counting -- Juvenile fiction.
Counting -- Juvenile literature.
Notes
Based in Gdansk, Poland, Maria Dek holds an art degree from both the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and University of the Arts, London.
Note: This book can be read in storytime, or as a counting book.
A Walk in the Forest introduced the enormously talented Maria Dek, andWhen I Am Big is a beguiling follow up to her first success. Charming illustrations and text encourage young children to explore what they can do as they grow up. The adventurous child imagines "I will tie my shoes all by myself, make 3 knots with big bows"; to eat twenty pizzas in one sitting, or walk animals, eight at a time, while teaching them tricks.When I Am Big is also an unconventional counting book, as it goes all the way to twenty-five. The result is a book that nourishes a child's curiosity, confidence, and delight in the world's wonders.
Subject: Imagination -- Juvenile fiction.
Growth -- Juvenile fiction.
Counting -- Juvenile fiction.
Counting -- Juvenile literature.
Notes
Based in Gdansk, Poland, Maria Dek holds an art degree from both the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and University of the Arts, London.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews