When I Get Bigger

This is a sweet book that nicely captures what a child may feel about being grown-up, and all the fun they can imagine that grown-ups have (because who of us has NOT been there as a kid?) This is an excellent book, but an adult should be on hand to discuss this book with the reader to offer a more balanced view.

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 show more 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. show less

When I Get Bigger, is a story of a little critter (boy) who cannot wait to grow up and be able to go to the corner store, cross the road on his own and go to first grade. He is thinking of how he will do all of these things in a responsible manner; he will look both side to make sure there is no cars coming. At the end of the story he says that he will stay up to watch the end of the late movie even if he is sleepy… but I’m not bigger yet he says. This book would fit into the building community strategy. Boys and girls can relate to this story because when we are small we are dreaming of the time when we can be able to do things on our own.

I really enjoy this book because I feel it is extremely relatable to young children. Personally as a child, I always thought about what I will be able to do when I got older. I have a sister who is four years older than me and I would live vicariously through her. The book talks about things that young children can’t wait to do when they’re older. The best part about this book, I think, is that it brings up activities that older people take advantage of doing. For example it states, “I’ll order something from a catalog and it will come in the mail.” For adults, this is a hassle and not an advantage. I think it is clever and entertaining that the author uses everyday, simple activities and make them seem like a dream to a show more little kid! The main message in this book is dreaming of what you can do when you grow up! show less

I liked this book for two reasons. First, the main character was believable, despite the fact he is an animal. The way he acts is relatable to children who read the book. He says various things that he wants to do when he is older, like, “I’ll go to the corner store by myself and spend my allowance on anything I want,” and, “I’ll make a phone call and dial it myself.” Children are always wishing that they can do things like adults. When I was younger, I said the same things as the main character; I always wanted to do “big kid” things. The second reason I liked this book is because of the illustrations. They illustrations were colorful and correspond to the text perfectly. When the main character says, “When I get show more older I’ll camp out in the backyard all night long.” After reading this, by looking at the illustrations, it was clear how the character feels about camping alone. The background is drawn with dark colors and there are creepy animals flying in the sky. Also, the main character has an overwhelming scared. As the reader, I was able to understand and feel the fear the main character was feeling. The message of this story is that some things in life take time, so there is no reason to rush. The main character is wishing to be able to do grown up things, but is reminded at the end that he is still a kid. This reminder was an indication that the main character will have plenty of time to do these grown up things, so he needs to just enjoy being a child. show less

I enjoyed reading this book because it highlights how children have dreams of doing simple things. FOr instance, in the book, Mercer Mayer, the author, begins by expressing, "When I get bigger I'll be able to do lots of things." Readers are able to interpret what the character is excited about and eventually becoming independent. Another example in the book reflects a specific task that the character represented will be able to accomplished. Mayer admits, "I'll have a two-wheeler and a paper route. I'll make lots of money." This describes the job of paper boy, who he imagines himself as becoming. Also, Mayer purposely writes as he wants the reader to continue reading onto the next page. He does this by saying, "I'll go to the corner show more store by myself... (next page)and spend my allowance on anything I want." Readers are able to predict what the next page will reveal, which increases their interests of continuing on. The character wants to have the ability of walking the streets alone and buying anything he wishes. In addition, the illustrations provide great detail of the character, which contributes to the elaboration of the story itself. show less

When I Get Bigger takes us through a time in Little Critter's life where he is just ready to grow up. He talks about going out and buying his own candy, wearing a watch to tell everyone the time, having a paper route etc. He says all of this will happen as he is going into first grade. This is a fun book that can show the exaggerations that kids have when they talk about growing up. In my classroom, I would use this when we were talking about growing up and becoming more independent. When my students talk about wanting to do everything on their own, it would be fun to bring this book out and read it and have them see what can happen when they grow up. Genre: fantasy.