How Big Is Big?

Children's Literature - Carol Raker Collins

Everything from size to speed to temperature to brightness is measured in terms that a child can understand and appreciate. For example, chewiness is explained as jaws champing on gum, each bite being 1.25 times more powerful than a karate chop. Or sweetness is measured in terms of the leaves of the Stevia rubidiana plant in Paraguay, one teaspoonful being equal to six cups of sugar. Each concept is proposed in a clever verse with the vital statistics spelled out in an accompanying factual sunburst. A cootie-like character leads the reader through the book, with lively imaginative illustrations that entertainingly dramatize the ideas. For example, the earth and a gigantic mound of Big Macs (many of them sailing like planets through space) appear on two sides of a scale to show how many is many. Or a crocodile (with the help of a monkey) is shown biting down on a diamond to show how hard is hard. This is a good introduction to the topic of measurement and might inspire budding mathematicians to learn more.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-This overambitious poetry book is ultimately disappointing. A whimsical, colorful plasticine bug guides readers through the lighthearted verse. Each double-page spread contains two star-burst shapes in which scientific facts pertaining to the relativity of units of measurement of volume, speed, distance, weight, time, temperature, or density are presented. These are slightly incongruent with the rest of the illustrations and the page layout. The poems attempt a witty rhyme related to these highlighted facts, but many are forced and awkward. "How heavy is heavy?/Asked a boy named Levy,/Who decided to buy a dinosaur,/But couldn't carry it out of the store./So he left instead with a lovely toy lion,/Whose weight, while great,/He could lift without try'n." The text itself is integrated within the illustrations as an independent graphic element, which helps to strengthen the connection between the content of the poems and the accompanying mixed-media art, the book's most striking feature. The illustrations are dynamic, and as varied as the media used. Some of the images are reminiscent of Lane Smith's work with their odd juxtaposition of angles and coloring. A unifying element is the rich use of color and dramatic contrast of values. Unfortunately, this book tries to do too much.-Megan McGuire, Lake View Elementary School, Madison, WI Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Childrens Book Watch

Lively short rhymes compare and contrast 'big' 'small' and other opposites, with bright illustrations by the Fernandes 4 accompanying the rollicking rhymes. Kids receive a fun picturebook which teaches basic concepts of size and space.
—Childrens Book Watch