“Expanding on the age old question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” this series employs cartoon drawings to explore the career-related imaginings of a child (e.g., what it would be like to play a violin solo for a concert performance, or find a T. rex bone on an archeological dig). Baroncelli’s illustrations depict a diverse group of cheerful children as they turn sandbox play into a dinosaur dig, or a collection of stuffed animals into a veterinary office. Speech bubbles contain the narration, and instances of challenging vocabulary (stethoscope, tortellini, percussion) seem incongruous to the toddlerlike appeal of the book, although a words-to-know section in the back offers some help. Each tale ends with a hands on activity, for instance, making a box guitar from a shoebox, wire hanger, and rubber bands. VERDICT A palatable series to bridge the gap between pretend play and real job description and terminology. ”—Series Made Simple
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I'll Be a Carpenter
Readers follow along on a day in the life of a carpenter as a young girl pretends to be a carpenter while building a cardboard-box fort in the backyard with her brother. Includes a glossary of construction terms and an activity that lets readers practice building skills.
retail $29.95 your price $20.95
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I'll Be a Librarian
Readers follow along on a day in the life of a librarian as a young girl pretends that the family den is a public library. Includes a glossary of library terms and a library scavenger hunt activity.
retail $29.95 your price $20.95
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I'll Be a Police Officer
Readers follow along on a day in the life of a police officer as a young girl pretends to be a law enforcement officer while on a walk with her dad. Includes a glossary and an activity.
retail $29.95 your price $20.95
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I'll Be a Teacher
Readers follow along on a day in the life of a kindergarten teacher as a young boy pretends to be a teacher while playing school with his sister. Includes a glossary and an activity that lets readers practice teaching skills.
retail $29.95 your price $20.95
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I'll Be a Truck Driver
Readers follow along with an over-the-road truck driver as a young boy pretends to be a semi-truck driver hauling a load of oranges from a Florida orchard to a store across the country. Includes a glossary of truck-driving terms and an activity that lets readers practice mapping a route across a state.
retail $29.95 your price $20.95
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I'll Be an Engineer
Readers follow along with a civil engineer as a young girl pretends to be an engineer designing and building a bridge with her father. Includes a glossary of engineering terms and an activity that lets readers practice building skills.
retail $29.95 your price $20.95
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I'll Be a Chef
A young boy pretends to be a master chef while cooking in the kitchen with his dad and shows what it’s like to be a professional chef. Includes hands-on activity and glossary of chef terms.
retail $29.95 your price $20.95
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I'll Be a Doctor
A young girl pretends to be a pediatrician while waiting for her baby brother’s checkup and shows what it’s like to be a professional doctor. Includes hands-on activity and glossary of doctor terms.
retail $29.95 your price $20.95
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I'll Be a Firefighter
Twins Lucy and Liam pretend to be firefighters after school and show what it’s like to be a professional firefighter. Includes hands-on activity and glossary of firefighting terms.
retail $29.95 your price $20.95
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I'll Be a Musician
A young girl practices her violin lesson and pretends to be a famous concert violinist, showing what it’s like to be a professional musician. Includes hands-on activity and glossary of muscial terms.
retail $29.95 your price $20.95
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I'll Be a Paleontologist
A young boy and his friends dig in their sandbox and pretend to be real paleontologists digging up dinosaur bones, showing what it’s like to be a professional paleontologist. Includes hands-on activity and glossary of paleontology terms.
retail $29.95 your price $20.95
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I'll Be a Veterinarian
A young boy pretends to be a veterinarian while playing with a friend after school, showing what it’s like to be a professional veterinarian. Includes hands-on activity and glossary of veternarian terms.
retail $29.95 your price $20.95
When I Grow Up
Put a new twist on community helpers units and career day with this series. Real-life experiences spark each imaginative adventure —a sandbox digger dreams of being a famous paleontologist, a boy helping his dad cook becomes a famous chef. Great as discussion starters, these books portray a day in the life of these “grown-up” jobs and inspire kids to think about when they grow up.
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Complete Series of 12: retail $359.40 your price $251.40
“If your little one likes to shadow you in the kitchen, you’ll enjoy reading When I Grow Up I’ll Be a Chef (Amicus Publishing) together. Written by Connie Colwell Miller, with illustrations by Silvia Baroncelli, you’ll follow a young boy who pretends to be a master chef while cooking in the kitchen with his dad. After you’ve read the story, flip back to the glossary of chef terms to review what you’ve learned, and complete the hands-on activity included with the book. ”—Solana Hawkenson