The boy gets himself stuck high up in a large pine tree after being chased by bullies. This leads to a large rescue effort involving the police, fire department, and emergency vehicles. The boy is eventually rescued using the fire truck's hydraulic platform and harness. Though frightened by the ordeal, the boy remains interested in dangerous jobs like firefighting for when he grows up.

1. When I Grow Up
by Barbara Berge
I definitely should not have been
smart to Steve Jackson down at
the convenience store last week.
I had bought the bread Mum wanted,
5 and I was on my way out of the
shop when I saw him and some
of his friends outside. They were
giving some little kid a hard time.
I yelled, “Leave him alone, you
10 big bullies. Pick on someone your
own size.” Then when I went to
jump on my bike and take off, I
remembered I did not have my bike.
Steve and his friends had theirs,
15 so I thought I should get out of
there as quick as I could.
Text © Barbara Berge. Illustrations © NZ Ministry of Education.
1

2. I dodged around behind the store and
over the old railway lines at the back.
By the time they had figured out
20 what I was up to, I was in the field on
the other side of the tracks, running
for my life. I can run really fast.
I might try out for the Olympics when
I grow up.
25 I was nearly home when I heard
them coming up the road behind me.
I did not think they had seen me, so
I hid behind a hedge. Sure enough,
they went past and up the road, but I
30 thought they might come back.
Text © Barbara Berge. Illustrations © NZ Ministry of Education.
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3. I decided to climb one of the humungous old
pine trees that grow near our house so that I
could see where Steve and his friends had got
to. I am a pretty good climber. I might be a
35 mountaineer when I grow up, like Sir Edmund
Hillary. Anyway, I had no trouble getting up
the tree, and I just kept on going till I was
right at the top. There was an awesome view
from up there, but the trunk was much thinner.
40 It was swaying around in the wind, and the
ground looked a long, long way below.
Text © Barbara Berge. Illustrations © NZ Ministry of Education. 3

4. That was when Mum and my sister Sarah came
out of the house, probably wondering where
I had got to with the bread.
45 “I’m up here,” I bellowed.
Two tiny faces peered upwards. “Cory Brown,
you get down here right now,” shouted Mum.
I soon discovered that, while trees might
be easy to climb up, getting down is another
50 thing. I tried to lower myself to the branch
below, but the tree swayed sickeningly, and
my legs turned to jelly.
“I can’t,” I shrieked. “I’m stuck!”
Text © Barbara Berge. Illustrations © NZ Ministry of Education. 4

5. Then Steve and his friends turned up.
55 They were all milling round down there like
little ants.
After about another ten minutes of them
all yelling at me and me hanging onto the
tree trying not to bawl, Mum disappeared.
60 Then I could hear sirens.
Mum must have really panicked because
the next minute a police car screeched up
and two police officers jumped out.
One of them started climbing up the tree
65 towards me. But he was much heavier than me,
and the branches started cracking and bending
under his feet. He backed down pretty fast
and got out his fancy-looking walkie-talkie.
I wondered if maybe I should be a policeman
70 when I grow up.
Text © Barbara Berge. Illustrations © NZ Ministry of Education. 5

6. Then a fire engine arrived. Three firemen
jumped out and propped their long extension
ladder up against the tree. One of them climbed
up it, but he was still a long way short of where
75 I was.
“Can you make it down to me, boy?” he called.
He had a shiny helmet and really cool black
boots. Looking down at him made me feel dizzy.
I shook my head and hung on tight to my branch.
80 I heard more sirens, and the fire truck arrived.
It had a hydraulic platform on it, and its giant
crane arm was soon swinging up towards me with
a couple of firemen standing in the cage.
I could hardly even feel my legs by now. “I
85 can’t move,” I wailed.
One of the firemen said something into his
walkie-talkie. “Hang on a minute, boy,” he said
to me. “We’ll get you down.”
Text © Barbara Berge. Illustrations © NZ Ministry of Education. 6

7. The crowd below was growing rapidly. It took
90 a few tries, but at last he was able to grab hold
of me. He put a sort of harness around me and
told me it was all right to let go of the tree – but
I could not do it. He had to prise my fingers off
one by one before he could lift me into the cage
95 and give the signal to the crane operator to winch
us down.
The cage swung right out over the crowd, but
I was too cold and shaky to enjoy the ride much.
Text © Barbara Berge. Illustrations © NZ Ministry of Education. 7

8. Dad was waiting. He wrapped me in a blanket and
100 had to carry me past everyone who crowded round us.
Mum was crying, and Sarah looked embarrassed, but
Steve Jackson had a big grin on his face. “Awesome,
man,” he said. “That was cool.”
I had to have a hot shower and go straight to bed.
105 Later, Dad said to me. “You put a lot of people to
a lot of trouble with this latest adventure of yours,
Cory. And you’ve really upset your mum. I hope
you’ve had enough of a fright to teach you
a big lesson. No more dangerous stuff, OK?”
110 “OK, Dad,” I said. I did not think this was the
best time to tell him I want to join the fire brigade
when I grow up.
Illustrations by Mat Tait
Text © Barbara Berge. Illustrations © NZ Ministry of Education. 8