Big
“Once there was a girl with a big laugh and a big heart and very big dreams.” As she grows, she’s told, “‘What a big girl you are!’ … And it was good … until it wasn’t.” The young Black girl at the center of this story begins noticing an edge to the way people say that she’s “big,” talking about her body thoughtlessly or pointedly, sometimes adding words that are overtly cruel. The word “big” starts to make her feel “small … judged, yet invisible.” A series of page spreads shows her in a storm-colored dress that contrasts the soft soothing pinks that predominate elsewhere, curling in on herself with hurt and boxed into an increasingly cramped space, until she gathers the taunts from her pool of tears, breaks down the “walls” (shown in a dramatic fold-out), and makes room for self-love. It’s a cathartic transformation that takes place largely without words. Guided discussion may deepen children’s understanding of this emotionally resonant story that unfolds in part through visual metaphor and pulses with tenderness toward its young protagonist. An author’s note briefly discusses how children, especially Black girls, sit “in the crosshairs of adultification and anti-fat bias.” ©2023 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Vashti Harrison
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
African Americans
Body Image
Discrimination and Prejudice
Girls and Women
Self-Esteem and Self-Worth
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publisher:
Little, Brown
Publish Year: 2023
Pages: 64
ISBN: 9780316653229
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Harrison