Big

This book captured my heart from the first time I read it. As a toddler, the main character is praised for being “a big girl,” but as she continues to grow, she discovers that being a “big girl” soon becomes a negative thing that prevents her from doing what she wishes.

The illustrations are amazing, and fold-out pages can barely contain the growing main character and the empathy you’ll have for her. 

A book you will hug when you’re done reading it, then immediately read it again.

Big is a captivating children's book that tackles the themes of self-acceptance and standing up to hurtful behavior.

The story follows a little girl who learns to embrace her uniqueness, culminating in a powerful moment where she confronts those who have hurt her, declaring, "These are yours. They hurt me." These powerful lines encapsulate the book's empowering message that we don't have to accept or be held accountable for other people's mean behavior, inspiring young readers to take a stance for themselves.

Anti-fat bias isn’t just an adult issue, it’s often an experience that starts at very young ages, and in this picture book Vashti Harrison captures the gradual experience of “So big!” being a good thing, until it somehow isn’t anymore.

She shows how comments, teasings, jokes, and “well-meaning” words of advice stick, and cut, and belittle. The delicate, pink artwork communicates the softness and sensitivity of the Big Girl’s internal feeling experience, and is contrasted by her body getting bigger and bigger, until the book itself can no longer hold her in its pages.

We feel along with her as… show more.