I Like the Performing Arts… What Jobs Are There? (That’s a Job Series)
Steve Martin
Illustrated by Roberto Blefari
Kane Miller
Published August 1, 2022

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About I Like the Performing Arts… What Jobs Are There?

Whether they love the spotlight or prefer to be busy behind the scenes, there’s something for everyone in this accessible guide for children who are interested in working in the performing arts. From being an actor to a costume designer, to a special effects artist, readers are taken through a day-in-the-life of 25 workers and shown the different skills and qualities needed for each exciting job.

My Review

When I was little, I dreamed of being a professional ballerina. I took loads of dance classes, and maybe dancing professionally could have been an option if I’d kept at it. I quit when I was fourteen, tired of ballet being my entire world. I’m sure I’m not the only person who had dreams of that sort, especially as a kid. I love that this book allows kids to explore those big dreams by including high-profile performing arts careers like ballet dancer, actor, and pop singer. The book also includes a lot of other careers (with perhaps easier points of entry) in the performing arts industry, like media and entertainment lawyers, camera operators, drama teachers, and choreographers.

For each of the 25 careers profiled, the book provides some information about the educational backgrounds required for the job and takes readers through a detailed busy workday. There’s also a note listing the best and worst parts of the job, which offers a little more insight into each career.

I had a lot of fun looking through the careers in this one with my daughter. Some, we were familiar with, but others we didn’t know much or anything about. She liked being able to pick and choose which careers sounded interesting to her and jumping around the book, which is super easy thanks to the table of contents, which includes a little thumbnail illustration of a person in each career.

This is a great series for middle- or late-elementary readers who want more information about jobs in different fields of interest. The whole series is really cool.

Age Recommendation

For readers eight to twelve.

The cartoony style probably makes this better suited to fourth or fifth-grade level, but the pages have so much information that I think older kids would benefit, too.

Content Summary

Illustrations show a diverse group of people performing different jobs.

Additional Titles in the That’s a Job Series

I Like Space… What Jobs Are There?

I Like Helping People… What Jobs Are There?

I Like Machines… What Jobs Are There?

Titles I Haven’t Reviewed

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