Humourous and insightful picturebook with cute illustrations, and a downloadable song. "I will be strong enough to carry all the heavy things you have to haul around with you when you're a grown up." Layers of meaning for adults and children. ( )

The text of this sweet picture-book is inspired by Tim Minchin's song, When I Grow Up, composed as part of his Matilda: The Musical, and is paired with lovely artwork from illustrator Steve Antony. Children envision all the things they will be able to do and experience, once they are grown up, those very things that will provide them with the knowledge and qualities that define what it is to be a grown-up in the first place, at least in a child's eyes...

There is a certain kind of circular thinking in When I Grow Up that adult readers in particular will appreciate - in one scene, being grown-up means being smart enough to ask the questions that will provide the answers needed to be a grown-up in the first place - while child readers and listeners will relish the prospect (however unrealistic) of being able to do whatever they want, in that faraway time of adulthood. The illustrations are likewise appealing, depicting children in the act of doing all these fun, "grown-up" things. My favorite scene, unsurprisingly, was the one in the library, where all the children are carrying piles and piles of books. Recommended to Steve Antony fans, and to anyone looking for children's stories about what it means to be a grown-up. Even readers unfamiliar with Minchin's work (as I was) will enjoy this one, despite having no musical accompaniment in their head. ( )