• Age: 4 to 7
• Grade: p to 2

The I Want to Be... series provides young readers with some exciting opportunities to think... an attractive choice for beginning readers ... Recommended.
-- Library Media Connection

The I Want to Be... series gives young children a realistic insight into the working day of adults. Easy-to-read captions and color photographs of men and women from different cultures help children understand what's involved in each occupation. Young readers learn all about what it takes to do an interesting job well. Along the way, they appreciate the contributions these workers make to our lives and the world around us.

Being a soldier is a challenging job, but there are many rewards. Like the other books in this series, I Want to Be a Soldier helps children understand the importance of doing a job well. Filled with real-life photos and informative captions I Want to Be a Soldier introduces young readers to life in the military. It includes information on recruitment, enlistment, training, and the different branches of the armed forces. As well, young readers are introduced to peacekeeping work, the role of cadets, and the equipment involved in military missions. They will learn how people train to become officers, find out about the different jobs a soldier does in both peacetime and war, observe a swearing-in ceremony, and visit academies such as West Point and the United States Naval Academy. A checklist summarizes the qualities of a good soldier.

DAN LIEBMAN is a longtime freelance editor and author. He wrote the monthly “Star Gazing” column for Famous magazine for over ten years. Before that, he wrote (under the name Clare Annswell) “StarScope,” a popular syndicated column for U.S. community newspapers. He also wrote an astrology column for Harlequin magazine and edited Harlequin’s series of astrology books.

Dan Liebman's profile page

I Want to Be a Soldier displays the variety of a soldier's life. The book begins by informing readers, "Soldiers must be strong, brave, honest and loyal to their country." Next come recruitment, training, and skills like shooting and parachuting. Oddly, the first specific job depicted is a musician in a military band. Only after readers meet a medic and UN peacekeeper do they find a soldier in an armored tank: "They patrol a dangerous area." The last picture shows an excited boy-and-dad reunion. The series, of course, focuses on the upbeat, but its books may still provoke discussion.

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