Faris, Paula. Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Illustrated by Bhagya Madanasinghe. New York: WorthyKids, 2023.

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Summary of Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Inspire children to dream not just about a future career, but also about the kind of person they want to become with this empowering picture book from Emmy Award–winning journalist, best-selling author, founder of CARRY Media, and mother of three, Paula Faris.

Career Day is looming, and Lina has no idea what she wants to do when she grows up. Should she become a nurse? An engineer? A journalist? A professional athlete? There are too many options! When her mom suggests she ask herself a few key questions, Lina begins to realize who she grows up to be is more important than what she ends up doing. 

In a world that places so much emphasis on what we do, Paula Faris—who stepped out of her own role as an award-winning journalist—is passionate about encouraging kids to consider instead who they want to be. In this beautifully illustrated book, Paula shares this empowering message with young readers and gives parents tools to foster their child’s unique gifts and interests and focus them on the things that matter.

Join Lina on her journey as she discovers that character counts and who you are is more important than what you do. 

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My Kid Review of Who do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

The first words out of my mouth when I finished this book were “I LOVE this book.” Pressure exists all around and at younger and younger ages – What do you want to be when you grow up? If you don’t know, you feel like Lina in this story. Paula Faris brings out a very good point in this picture book – the type of person you become is much more important than what you do for a living. The last words of the story tell it all “But I know who I want to be. And that’s the most important thing!”

There is a note for parents at the end of the book with questions which will help parents guide their children to decide what type of person they want to be. This note could also help teachers in discussions surrounding the book. 

Bhagya Madanasinghe did a wonderful job with the illustrations. They have a childlike quality which fit the audience of the story. They also show diversity in the characters of the story. 

Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? would be an excellent addition to a K-12 Christian school library. It is perfect for a picture book collection. It would also be a wonderful book for a classroom or family library. 

I received a complimentary copy of Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? This is my honest review.

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