Andrew Daddo (text), Jonathan Bentley (illus.), When I Grow Up, ABC Books/HarperCollins, 1 Dec 2015, 32pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780733333415
From the outset, this book exudes vibrance, individuality and imagination; with its brightly coloured cover and endpapers and variety of objects associated with different careers. When I Grow Up is written and illustrated by the much-loved team that brought us Check on Me and First Day. Andrew Daddo and Jonathan Bentley beautifully tap into the wondrous possibilities that all young children (and some adults too it seems!) ponder for their futures.
When the teacher asks, ‘What do you want to be?‘, each child takes a turn to stand up and envision the wonderful things they could achieve. The further the story travels, the zanier the adventures become. From a hairdresser forming bobs and beehives, to an inventor imagining a bowl that never runs out of lollies. An astronaut photographing aliens in space and a writer dreaming up the most epic of stories. And cleverly integrated into the conclusion is the subtle moral of the story – you have the potential to be anything you want to be, but the most important thing is to be yourself.
Written with just as much enthusiasm and energy as its bright and colourful, varied and visually appetising illustrations, When I Grow Up is fetchingly engaging and brilliantly stupendous. Perfect for classroom discussions of jobs and their roles, as well as giving children from age four, and adults, the encouragement to dare to dream and aspire to achieve.
Reviewed by Romi Sharp
