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Reviewed by: Taylor Coonelly, Elementary School Librarian Title: Are You Big?
Author: Mo Willems Publisher: Specific House
Year: 2024 Good for Grades: PK-2 Genre/Type of Book: Nonfiction
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: N/A Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: Nominated for the CYBILS award in Elementary/Middle Grade nonfiction
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
A fun and simple text that discusses a scientific topic like size/relativity in a way that is accessible to young elementary audiences.
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Review:
A fun and simple text that discusses a scientific topic like size/relativity in a way that is accessible to young elementary audiences.
This newest book by Mo Willems is focused on the idea of size and comparison of things, a topic that is important in order to learn about more complex scientific concepts. The author asks the reader 'are you big', and then goes on to list different things that are bigger than the reader but small in comparison to other things, like a hot air balloon and the Earth. The end repeats the same question to the reader, but then shows a picture of a small bug, illuminating that while the reader might not be big compared to some things, they are compared to others.
I really liked this book, especially for a young elementary audience. I think that not only is the text easily readable as a read-aloud, but prepares students for deeper conversation about size and comparison. The illustrations are fun and imaginative, and I love how the items previously referred to remain on the page and get smaller as the book moves on. There is also a little glossary/note at the back of the book that discusses how big each item featured in the book actually is, and that the drawings are not to scale.
I think that this book could be used in a variety of elementary curricular contexts; as a read aloud, a introduction to a lesson on size/comparing/self/etc. Overall, a very informational and engaging lower elementary book.
Number of party hats:
For more about Are You Big? see Teachingbooks.net
For more information about this book, see the author's website