WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
1. The children in the book want to be many things. Can you think of more things to work with?
2. Modesty in the book doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up. What do you think she should work on? Why do you think she would fit that? Do you think it's important for Modesty to know what she wants to be when she grows up?
3. Do you know what you want to do when you grow up? What do you think is good to be good at then? What are you good at?
4. Rima should become a clown, because she has good balance and is funny. Can you think of a job that you think seems fun? What do you think is funny about it?
5. Many adults work. Why do you think they do that? Some adults don't work, why do you think that is?
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO?
1. Ragnar in the book becomes happy in his heart by playing the piano. What makes your heart happy to do?
2. Viktor gets brave from acting. What do you think is brave to do? Have you ever done something brave?
3. Laura makes a good friend when she plays hockey. What do you think a good friend should be like?
4. Evelina gets tough when she plays handball. What do you think is tough? Do you usually do something that you become
tough off?
5. What do you like to do? How does it feel when you do it? What do you dislike doing? How does it feel when you do it?
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING?
1. In the book, Reidar likes to make his doll nice. What do you think is nice? When do you want to be nice? What kind of dolls are there? For example, baby dolls, action dolls, barbie dolls, marionette dolls and test dolls.
2. Fatima likes that she can cycle wherever she wants. Do you like bikes? If you could cycle anywhere you wanted, where would you cycle?
3. Joakim becomes absolutely magical in his princely crown. Would you like to have magical properties? So what kind of people? Do you have something that makes you feel magical?
4. Many of the children in the book have a favorite thing. Lacki has many best things. How is it for you? Can you say something you like a lot? What is good about it?
5. Boris throws a party. He wants to share what he cooks on the stove. Have you invited someone to something? Has anyone shared anything
with you? How did it feel then? How does it feel if someone doesn't share?
ABOUT THE PROFESSIONS
Sweden has one of the world's most gender-segregated labor markets. This is mainly because we have institutionalized nursing and pay for the work that in many other countries is done unpaid (by women). What leads us to our career choices has a lot to do with our social heritage. Children of doctors, for example, are overrepresented in the medical field. The social heritage is linked to factors such as socio-economic status and ethnicity. Another governing factor is how we view gender and what we fill the gender roles with. What interests do we encourage in our children and how do we interpret different characteristics depending on gender? Allowing all children to take part in more possible ways forward in life goes hand in hand with trying to see each child as an individual, instead of a representative of a group. In these books, characteristics, interests and skills are also connected with things that one might not spontaneously think of. And in addition, they show, and open up more opportunities for both girls and boys, regardless of disabilities or ethnicity.
