Little Critter constantly dreams of the day that he will be able to go to first grade, walk to the corner store by himself, and dial phone numbers by himself. He consentrates on being a big kid for so long that he tires himself out and decides that it is too much work to even dream about therefore he is not old enough yet. ( )

Little Critter wants to do so much when he is bigger. He will walk to the store alone and buy anything he wants with his own money. He will cross the street alone. He will have his own watch and will be able to tell others what time it is. He will ride the train alone to grandma's house. Little Critter will go to first grade. He will have a two-wheeler bike and a paper route. He will make lots of money from his paper route. He will campout all night in the back yard. Little Critter will stay up to watch the late movie. He will watch the ending even if he gets sleepy. He will not go to bed until mom and dad say he is not bigger yet. Getting bigger will just have to wait until Lillte Critter is bigger.

Personal Review:

Every child dreams of great accomplishments, but it's just as important to know when one is ready and capable of handling certain responsibilities. In this brightly colored book with familiar characters, Little Critter gently reminds young readers of the importance of simply waiting till the time is right. ( )

Little Critter imagines all the wonderful freedoms of being grown up in this addition to the delightful Critter series. In his world, liberties like crossing the street by himself or camping out in the backyard are big goals for the small tyke, but because he's too little, it's off to bed with him on time, just like his parents say. I enjoyed this series as a kid, and I still like the books, in large part due to the colorful full page illustrations that are charming and full of delightful details, like the reactions of the other characters to Little Critter in his imaginings as a big person. This story reminded me of my own youthful ideas about growing up and being a big kid, the way I thought everything was wonderful when you just reached a certain age. As a mom, I appreciate the fact that although Little Critter has free reign in his imagination, he is still obedient to his parents and the extra rules of being a little kid. A cute book in a fun series - I look forward to reading it to my daughter when she is older. ( )

Little Critter imagines all the joys of growing up, but deals with reality. ( )