Children are naturally curious about the world—and that includes wondering what they might grow up to be one day. From future veterinarians and firefighters to artists, engineers, and entrepreneurs, kids love dreaming big. And as educators and caregivers, we have the incredible opportunity to nurture those dreams early on.
One of the most meaningful ways to open the door to career exploration is through books. Picture books and early readers can introduce young minds to a wide range of jobs, showcase diverse role models, and plant seeds of inspiration that grow over time.
In this post, you’ll find 15 books that help kids imagine endless possibilities for their future. Whether you’re planning a career day, teaching a unit on community helpers, or simply want to broaden your students’ horizons, these stories are the perfect way to start those important conversations—one page at a time.
A picture book encouraging children to pursue their dream STEAM careers, full of diverse representation.
What Will I Be From A to Z is an introduction to STEAM fields from astronaut to zoologist.
Written by G.Todd Taylor, a former educator, this book inspires, encourages and educates young readers to be great by introducing to them heroes of color from a number of different professions on an elementary level.
Who wears what to work? The clues in each kid-friendly rhyme can be spotted hanging from the clothesline. Items range from a mail carrier’s uniform to a firefighter’s pants and heavy coat.
Snowmen don’t just play all night–they have jobs to do, just like the parents of human kids. Dentists replace missing coal from snowman smiles. Pet store owners help pair snowkids with their very own snowpuppy or snowfish to love. The pizza man delivers frozen pizza, and factory workers make the coolest toys in town.
When Isabel’s teacher asks her students who they want to be when they grow up, Isabel doesn’t have an answer.
Isabel knows it makes her happy to help her friends, neighbors, and family—but can a person really grow up to be a helper
Explore all of life’s possibilities in this exuberant book by Newbery Award winning author Jerry Spinelli.
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.
Get ready it’s a tongue twister.
Here, the prolific and poetic Eileen Spinelli offers us the opportunity to truly enter the mind and heart of a little girl whose dreams reach well beyond today.
Mary is an enterprising young inventor. One day she realizes she has no friends, so she decides a pet will do the trick. But the pet Mary wants isn’t one she can easily buy…so she makes one―and it’s a sheep, of course!
Soon Mary, her sheep, and her new invention gain her popularity and friends. But when she starts making sheep for her new friends, chaos abounds.
That’s a Job? I Like Sports is the perfect guide for children who love sports and want to know all about what careers they could have. In this entertaining and informative book, children who love sports can find out all about the future careers they can choose from.
When Rae witnesses an ice cream-and-doggie mishap, she’s inspired to create a big-scale solution to wash dogs. Rae draws on her determination, resilience, and courage until she―and everyone else in her community―learns just what it means to be an entrepreneur.
Introduces a variety of tools used by different workers in their everyday jobs.
Nine-year-old Ron is fascinated by airplanes and spends hours exploring books about flight at the Lake City Public Library. Today, he’s determined to check out books on his own for the very first time. But in 1950s South Carolina, where segregation still defines everyday life, getting a library card isn’t a simple task—it becomes Ron’s first brave stand for equality. Based on the true story of Ron McNair, who grew up to become a scientist and Challenger astronaut.
This set is perfect for a career centers day with your littles.
After reading have kids write down careers that interest them from A-Z.
Helping kids dream about their future starts with giving them the tools to see what’s possible—and books are one of the best tools we have. The stories on this list don’t just introduce different jobs; they inspire curiosity.
Find all of my career activities here.
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