WHEN I AM BIGGER

A companion to Dek’s When I Am Big (2018), this playful picture book focuses on older children, kids who are revving their imaginations and developing zany plans for their future.

Readers find kids asserting unique goals inside this charming, idiosyncratic, and inclusive world. Each spread offers a wide-eyed child’s gleeful declaration alongside a vibrant, watercolor illustration of their (often kookily complicated) plan. A dark-skinned kid with purple spectacles “will build a magnificent robot that can do 16 different jobs”—like raking leaves, flying a kite, and kicking a soccer ball. A child with olive skin “will do an underwater somersault and hold [their] breath for 35 seconds.” Page turns bring surprises and giggles. Did that White-presenting kid really say they will “blow a bubble so big that 39 elephants, and a watering can, will fit inside”? Matte paper and flat colors (so many colors!) make both delving into the pictures’ magnificent minutiae and then hovering there easy. Light-bulb filaments, caterpillar markings, birch bark, snail antennae, elephant toenails, fabric patterns, even the spots on a frog’s back, all beg examination while transmitting humor. Numbers (bold, big, and increasing in irregular steps) nestle within each plan, instilling them with a bit of specificity, a touch of absurdity, and some of the earnestness that’s part of all childhood dreaming.

Delightful renderings of offbeat notions and quantities.