As children, at some point we would have been asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” For me, it was so long ago I can’t actually remember. What did you want you want be? (If you want to, you can leave your answer in the comments box at the end of this review). In amongst the usual answers of footballers, ballerinas, rich and famous will be more noble professions like doctor, nurse or teacher. For this review I will be looking at a book from WIGU Publishing called When I Grow Up I Want To Be… a Teacher!
WIGU Publishing have a series of books exploring the topic of When I Grow Up I Want To Be… They are a series of children’s books taking a look at different professions and life lessons, with the stories told through the eyes of the children featured in the stories. One of the books explores being a Teacher, which I have just finished reading.
In When I Grow Up I Want To Be… a Teacher! we follow Carlee, who always wanted to be a teacher but changes her mind when her mother gets a teaching job at her school! But as she journeys through the school day, she makes some surprising discoveries.
It’s the first day of school and Carlee’s life is falling apart. Shock horror, her mother has got a job as a teacher in her school, and some of her friends are even in her class! Although she usually loves school and always wanted to be a teacher she has some serious concerns and worries; What will her friends say? Will her mother do something to embarrass her? As a result, when she grows up, she definitely doesn’t want to be a teacher like her mother! But she soon makes some very surprising discoveries, and some about herself.
Overall, this is a very good and interesting book to read. Whilst it has been written for the American market, despite having a few Americanisms (and some American spellings) these easily translate to the UK market and children will have no problem understanding their meaning (they might even already use a few from watching American television shows or YouTube personalities). Throughout the book, they will learn about Carlee’s fears and worries, the importance of learning different subjects and what kind of career path children can take with different subjects such as history, geography, maths, P.E., English and science.
Throughout the book, it also has some very educational facts about people throughout history, people such as Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, The Lewis & Clark Expedition, Martin Luther King, Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart, Beethoven, Galileo, Alexander Hamilton, Einstein, the Grimm Brothers, Lewis Carroll, J.M. Barrie, Louis Pasteur, Alexander Graham Bell and Marie Curie. There is a lot packed into the 53 pages of the book and whilst it seems a lot to take in, it has been written very well so that the information it delivers isn’t overwhelming for the young reader.
And just in case you think that all these facts about people throughout history will make it a boring and dry read, it really doesn’t. The facts are nicely spread out between Carlee’s story and her school day.
This is a good story that will show the benefits of teaching and education. It also touches on peer pressure (real or imagined) and how important teaching and the teachers are.
When I Grow Up I Want To Be… a Teacher! is a great book, one that I think children will enjoy. It shows Carlee’s journey through seeing how important education is and the importance of having good teachers, and it also shows Carlee learning some very important lessons about herself. I think this book would be of great benefit to any child’s bookshelf or even school library. It has also been beautifully illustrated with some bold and colourful pictures that complement the story and help young readers visualise what is happening within the text.
A fun, educational and enlightening read.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £7.99 (paperback)
Available to buy from Amazon here.
