“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.” (Ages 4-8)

Winner of the Caldecott Medal! A Coretta Scott King Award Author and Illustrator Honor book, a National Book Award finalist, and a New York Times bestseller! This deeply moving story shares valuable lessons about fitting in, standing out, and the beauty of joyful acceptance, from an award-winning creator.

The first picture book written and illustrated by award-winning creator Vashti Harrison traces a child’s journey to self-love and shows the power of words to both hurt and heal. With spare text and exquisite illustrations, this emotional exploration of being big in a world that prizes small is a tender portrayal of how you can stand out and feel invisible at the same time.