What Will You Be, Grandma

Nanette Newman

In my opinion, this is a fantastic book to read. I liked the book for three reasons. First of all, the book pushes the reader to wonder what he or she will become when growing up. Throughout the text, Lily creates various scenarios of what her grandmother could become when she grows older. She tells her grandmother, “you could grow wings and fly around the world, making sure people are nice to their cats and dogs like I am.” Through statements like this, children will begin to wonder what talents they possess and how they could use them to pick a career in order to help others in need. Second, the soft, pastel illustrations in the book enhance the comprehension of the story. To demonstrate this, as Lily claims ,“...or you could grow up to be a fairy with a magic wand who stops rooms from getting messy”, there is a picture of Lily’s grandmother dressed like a fairy using a magical wand that picks up toys and clothes to clean rooms. The pictures depict what is occurring in the text and help support what is being said. Third, the plot of the book is organized and easy to follow. The book begins by Lily asking, “What do you think you’ll be when you grow up?”, continues with imagining possible careers including “…a lady who makes lollipops and gives them away to children…”, and ends with the grandmother saying,“I’d like to be a lady with a little granddaughter named Lily who she loves from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.” The sequential order of events in the story guides the reader to understand the text in an efficient manner and process what occurred. Overall, the main idea of the book is to be who you are as an individual rather than trying to be something or someone else that you’re not. It is better to be yourself because you are unique and possess special powers and talents that others do not have. ( )

This book is about a little girl who asks her grandma one day " When you grow up grandma what will you be?" They go through all the possibilities of careers her grandma could have when she grows up. ( )