I Am Me!

Every archeologist started out as a child who loved to dig, and a penchant for baking may presage a career as a chef, proposes this simple book. Following the statement ""When I grow up I want to be,"" a succession of career-clad children form a portrait gallery of potential professions: fireman, carpenter, ballerina, librarian, doctor, etc. Then the focus changes to the present, and spreads show children climbing, hammering, dancing, reading and bandaging a teddy bear. Most of Brandenberg's (A Fun Weekend) smiling, doll-like children gaze out from the pages in standing, frontal poses, changing mainly in hair and skin color, and, of course, attire. With the round-faced, wide-eyed figures and pared-down compositions, the art bears more than a casual resemblance to the work of Brandenberg's mother, Aliki (see Hello! Good-bye!, reviewed below), implying yet another factor in choosing a career. Ages 2-5. (Sept.)