Later, When I’m Big by award-winning Dutch author, Bette Westera with
illustrations by Mattias de Leeuw and English translation by Laura
Watkinson is an invitation to let your imagination soar along with the young
protagonist.
A trip
with her mother to a local pool sets up this tale of whimsical adventures that
might come to pass “Later, when I’m big.” The possibilities are vast—kissing an
elephant, sleeping in a haunted castle, riding a bicycle hands-free around the
globe, diving with a mermaid, playing with dragons, flying to Saturn. First,
however, she must return to reality and face the giant diving board—"But
not just yet.”
De Leeuw’s playful watercolor illustrations bring the text brilliantly to life as he celebrates the little girl’s fancy with an extravagance of his own. Flamingoes emerge on the inside front cover and provide an unexpected hide-and-seek thread drawing the readers from page to page. Surprises abound—the toy rabbit stuffed into the child’s bag has a life of its own as it joins the little girl’s travels. There’s a lot of detail hidden here to encourage a second and third look.
Entertaining from page one—Later, When I’m Big is a wonderful opportunity to explore with young readers what they might aspire to in the future.
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