Dreams to Grow On by Christine Hurley Deriso, illustrated by Matthew Archambault ages 4-8 32 pages Illumination Arts September 2002 Hardcover     Every child dreams of what they are going to be when they grow up. Whether they have dreams with plenty of imagination (I want to be a princess!) or realistic goals (I want to be a veterinarian!), children will enjoy relating to the young girl in Dreams to Grow On by Christine Hurley Deriso. The girl in this book dreams of being many things when she gets older and practices her future crafts as she dreams of them. She dreams of being a baker while she makes mud pies in the back yard and, while helping to take care of her little brother, sees herself as a doctor. Although making the girl’s first dream ‘career’ a mother is a little stereotypical, most of the jobs discussed are modern and varied enough to appeal to a wide range of children. Written in a rhyming prose, younger children will have fun listening to the story while older children will enjoy reading it themselves. The illustrations by Matthew Archambault are well-done and support the story wonderfully as they show the young girl as she is now on one page and how she would be as the grown-up in her chosen profession on the opposing page. Dreams to Grow On will probably appeal the most to young girls as the story is all about one girl and her dreams. With its beautiful artwork and easy-to-relate-to subject matter, this book should be treasured by young girls of a wide range of ages and interests.     web reviews   Angela McQuay/2005 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)