Later When I’m Big

A little girl goes swimming along with her mother. Perhaps inspired by what she sees there, the girl starts to dream about all the things she’ll dare to do when she’s bigger. She’ll surely dare to do everything, from kissing elephants on the tips of their trunks to diving from the top board with her eyes open. Or playing with the monster and the dragon under her bed. Or dancing with a jellyfish. She makes wild plans and dreams big, but secretly she’s glad she can be small for a while yet.

‘Later When I’m Big’ is a poetic book in which reality and fantasy overlap. The story radiates courage, and the distilled text encourages children to think big, to have adventurous fantasies about their own dreams, future and talents. Bette Westera knows how to say a lot in just a few words. The beautiful illustrations by Mattias De Leeuw are a combination of sparse ink lines and backgrounds in bright colours. The rich pictures are full of fantasy and humorous details. ‘Later When I’m Big’ is a special book for all children thinking about getting big.