9780062078407
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When I Grow Up audiobook

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When I Grow Up Audiobook Summary

Grammy Award winner and pop culture icon “Weird Al” Yankovic brings his trademark wit, wordplay, and silliness to a story that explores the timeless question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Funny and charming, this is a celebration of creativity and possibility.

An Amazon Best Book of the Month! “The farce and parody make this a rare book with appeal to both kids and adults” (Booklist).

It’s Show-and-Tell time in Mrs. Krupp’s class, and Billy just can’t wait for his turn! Today the class is discussing what they want to be when they grow up, and our exuberant eight-year-old hero is bursting to tell everyone about his future career plans.

In dazzling wordplay and delicious rhymes, Billy regales his patient teacher and amazed classmates with tales of the variety of careers he wants to pursue–each more outlandish and wildly imaginative than the last!

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When I Grow Up Audiobook Narrator

Al Yankovic is the narrator of When I Grow Up audiobook that was written by Al Yankovic

Known for more than thirty years as America's premier satirist of popular music and culture, "Weird Al" Yankovic has had almost as many careers as Billy can dream of. Advised by his father to do whatever made him happy, he has accordingly been a comedian, singer/songwriter, music producer, actor, director, and writer–often all at the same time. Mr. Yankovic has won three Grammy Awards and has sold more comedy recordings than anyone else in history. He lives with his family in Southern California.

About the Author(s) of When I Grow Up

Al Yankovic is the author of When I Grow Up

When I Grow Up Full Details

Narrator Al Yankovic
Length 6 minutes
Author Al Yankovic
Category
Publisher HarperCollins
Release date February 01, 2011
ISBN 9780062078407

Subjects

The publisher of the When I Grow Up is HarperCollins. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Juvenile Fiction, School & Education

Additional info

The publisher of the When I Grow Up is HarperCollins. The imprint is HarperCollins. It is supplied by HarperCollins. The ISBN-13 is 9780062078407.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Andrea

January 21, 2020

Simply adorableCute little book about a boy who waits for his turn to present his show and tell to his classmates and his teacher. He tells them what he wants to be when he grows up. Very cute. And I love that it is Al Yankovic who wrote it.

Alyce

February 20, 2011

In this fanciful children's book, the protagonist explores a variety of options for adult occupations, ranging from outre chef to gorilla masseuse. The playful verse by Al Yankovic (better known as music parody king Weird Al) is accompanied by colorful pen and watercolor illustrations by Wes Hargis. Wisely, this young hero realizes that the answer to "what will you be when you grow up?" may not be simple. Learning from his grandfather, who held many jobs throughout his life, the boy suggests one outlandish occupation after another, not ruling out the possibility of trying each in turn.My eight-month-old boy was captivated by the drawings and engaged by the rhyming. He enjoyed it just as much when my husband read it to him a few days later. I predict that, unlike many of the board books he currently shoves in his mouth, this traditional hardback will remain a favorite as he grows and gains vocabulary and comprehension. While some of the vocabulary could make it difficult for beginning readers, it's a terrific book to read to children of any age.Disclosure: The author received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher through the Goodreads giveaway program.

Michael

September 07, 2016

Everything I hoped Jerry Seinfeld's Halloween would be, Al Yankovic's When I Grow Up turned out to be.Billy is in the fourth grade and can't wait for the upcoming show and tell day when he can talk about all the things he'd like to be when he grows up. His dreams aren't just limited to the typical police officer or firefighter. Billy has some very interesting dreams including giving the cows a break by milking giraffes. Told in Seuss-like rhyme, this is a clever, fun, well-illustrated and entertaining book for both kids and adults. Of course, I guess I should expect that from the man who is better known as "Weird Al" and who's been entertaining me with his songs and parodies since I was a teenager. A pure delight to read and one I hope to add to our rotation of favorite stories.

Clinton

February 09, 2021

I have been a "Weird Al" fan for most of my life, so I was very anxious to see how his treatment of a children's book would be. "Weird Al" is a master craftsman when it comes to writing original music that spoofs another band's or singer's style, as well as writing parodies. It seems he is also a master craftsman of children's book.It is true that some of the words may be a little advanced for small children, it is refreshing to see someone who generally trusts his audience (and plus it gives the adults like me, who don't have any kids, a reason to buy and read the book). It is not dumbed-down. This would offer a great time for parents to teach their kids some vocabulary.It has a naturally flowing rhyme and meter, and the illustrations are excellent. I was a little disappointed that one of his potential jobs is "master debater." While "Weird Al" has always been generally family-friendly, he isn't exactly squeaky-clean. However, that's the only beef I take with this book and I consider it a pretty minor gripe.I was fortunate enough to get this signed by "Weird Al" and talk to him for a minute. I would recommend this book to anyone, for the young and the young at heart. You won't be disappointed by this book.

Rahaf

January 20, 2021

You can be anything you want to be!The story is funny,entertaining and delightful. A child with vivid imagination imagines what he wants to be in the future. I laughed at so many job he had on his mind,especially sniffing the armpits. I highly recommend reading this book

Roy

July 30, 2014

"Weird Al" doesn't need other people's music to deliver the goods. His own considerable writing talent and imaginative way of looking at the world serve him and the audience of this book just fine.

Skip

November 10, 2014

A clever rhyming book about a young boy (Billy) telling his classmates what he might be when he grows up, written by the iconic "Weird Al" Yankovic. Many of his suggestions are not real jobs, but this is a kid;s book after all. Excellent illustrations by Wes Hargis and funny. Personally, I like Mike Reiss's "How Murray Saved Christmas" better in this rhyming sort of genre.

Ann

October 08, 2012

I loved it. Not sure about the reading level if I WAS the right age for the book. But I like challenges, especially when it's this fun. So challenge our kids all the more! But it would be an awesome gift to a early education teacher from your past! Especially if they're still teaching.

alana

January 31, 2021

Super fun, twisty language and the positive message that you don't have to be just one thing and that life brings lots of opportunities.

Elizabeth Edwards

January 21, 2020

as a kid ... well teen ... i found "Weird Al's" music ... so it was fun to see he wrote a book???! love the illustrations ... so great!! what fun. a quick and done read. check it out. u will love it ... i guess for me ...if anything ... i wish the pics were a bit more vibrant ...the color is more muted??!

April

September 13, 2012

Al Yankovic's "When I Grow Up", is brilliant. It is a fun filled book full of rhyming. Billy explains all the things he wants to be when he grows up in a detailed and creative fashion. He thinks since his grandpa has done so many things that he can too. Not only does this book teach rhyming, but it also teaches children that they can be anything and teaches about relationships. The media used for this book is watercolors. Various shapes are used throughout the book to enhance the story and keep the reader interested in the illustrations. The illustrations are successful in making a person want to turn the page since every idea Billy has just seems to get sillier and sillier and the illustrations show this perfectly. The artistic style in the book is very cartoon like which works well with the story since it is told by an eight year old boy who has crazy ideas and a love for life. This book would be one that I would choose for a read aloud in my classroom. The rhymes are something where the students could get involved in it too. I could also use this book to introduce a lesson on rhyming or to teach about careers.

Kat

November 14, 2015

Basic plot: Billy is 8 and has a lot of fun ideas for careers when he grows up.I was entirely too excited when I discovered that "Weird" Al Yankovic had written a kids' book, and was even more pleased when I discovered that the book was excellent. Weird Al's humor has always been kid-friendly, so translating it into a kid book was a great way for him to branch out. He found a great artist, too, to add the visuals to the wacky career ideas he came up with. More impressive, though, is the message of the book: that a person can do anything with his life and doesn't necessarily have to know what that thing (or those things) will be at the age of 8. Having fun at that age is way more important.

Cindy

February 28, 2011

Eight year old Billy has a very active imagination and loves to share what is on his mind. One day at school he was counting down the minutes until it was show-and-tell because he loved this weeks topic. They were to share what they wanted to be when they grew up. Billy new exactly what he was going to say and no one was going to get in his way. The vocabulary in this books is rich and exposes readers to many new words and ideas. The illustrations add to the humor of the story and do a great job of bring the story to life. It is also very enjoyable to read the text aloud. The word choice and rhyming are captivating. This would be a great book for all ages.

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