Nonfiction Monday: When I Grow Up

When I Grow Up: A young person’s guide to interesting & unusual occupations
By Jessica Loy
Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 9780805077179
$16.95
Grades 3-6
In Stores

When I was in elementary school I wanted to be a Karate Guy when I got older. Apparently, I wasn’t aware of the whole “you have to make some money” thing. It just sounded like a cool job to me. As a child, I didn’t know I would grow up to be a children’s librarian. I’m guessing the same goes for kids who grow up to be alpaca farmers. “When I Grow Up” contains a collection of unique professions that will be useful for kids thinking of the future. A solid addition to your careers section.

14 uncommon professions are represented here, from entomologist (study of insects) to robotics engineer. I was pleased to see that they actually profile people associated with each career, instead of just providing facts. It puts a human face on the jobs. A healthy dose of photographs show these individuals at work, giving a behind the scenes look at their day to day tasks. And there are some fairly obscure jobs that deserve that “inside look” treatment, as this may be the first time a cheese maker, chocolatier, and kite designer all have shared the same pages.

It should be stated that “When I Grow Up” is not your first stop for career titles, but a supporting one. Be sure you’re stocked up on the more conventional jobs before adding this into the mix.

Deciding what you want to do when you grow up is a big decision. Often times, a kid will end up choosing a career that wasn’t on their radar until they got older. “When I Grow Up” does its part to shed some light on jobs that don’t get much attention. A useful book that I was happy to see.

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.

Check out the Nonfiction Monday roundup at Picture Book of the Day.

Filed under: Reviews