When I Wake Up

Every single day holds so many possibilities—how do you choose what to do when you wake up? Award-winning author Seth Fishman and acclaimed illustrator Jessixa Bagley introduce a young child and four different paths for their day in this inventive and original picture book that recognizes the imagination, courage, and independence of every child.

When an imaginative young child wakes up before their parents, they know that they’re supposed to stay in bed until the clock says 7:00. But that’s no fun—so what should they do instead? Make breakfast? Build a city? Ride a scooter? Dig in the garden?

Each choice leads to a different path for the day. And in the end, the child makes the best decision of all—to curl up, safe and loved, between Mom and Dad.

When I Wake Up begins in black-and-white, and then each of the child’s four choices is rendered in a different color. Every spread includes all four choices, so readers can enjoy this book traditionally, reading all four colors at once, or they can choose one color to follow from beginning to end.

Jessixa Bagley’s masterful and ingenious artwork beautifully complements Seth Fishman’s lyrical text that celebrates imagination, creativity, independence, and love. When I Wake Up begs to be read over and over again—and can change every time. Both children and parents will enjoy sharing this timeless story—no matter when they wake up or what time the clock says.

Seth Fishman is the author of A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars, a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor book and winner of the Mathical Prize, as well as Power Up and The Ocean in Your Bathtub, all illustrated by Isabel Greenberg. He lives with his family in Los Angeles, California.

Jessixa Bagley is the author and illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including Boats for Papa, which received a Golden Kite Award, and Laundry Day, which received an Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor. She lives with her family in Seattle, Washington.