Big Kids

A diminutively scaled narrator reflects on what it means to be a “big kid” in this straightforward account of overcoming first-day fears. On an opening spread, the protagonist expresses their impressions of older youths: “When the big kids stand outside, they make looooong shadows. Those shadows stretch until I think they might reach out and get me.” And on “Buddy Day,” the nervous child shirks from the seemingly enormous figures until reluctantly greeting a persistent—and friendly—buddy. Brown’s painterly digital renderings add visual variability with textures throughout scenes that abundantly amplify the size disparity between the small younger students and the oversize older kids. But while the visuals seem to justify the child’s overwhelm, Going’s text reveals a reassuring story about the many ways an older pal can be a source of assistance. The protagonists are depicted with brown skin; background characters are presented with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 4–8. (July)