I Want to Be Big, by Tiffany Golden/Illustrated by Sawyer Cloud, (Apr. 2023, Page Street Kids), $18.99, ISBN: 9781645676300
Ages 4-8
A brown-skinned young boy wants to be big: “Bigger than Big Brother. Bigger than Big Sister. Bigger than Mom. Bigger than Dad”. Being big comes with perks, after all: being able to reach the cookie jar; swimming with sharks and being best friends with Bigfoot, all sorts of cool things. His wish is magically granted, and he’s delighted! He’s bigger than everyone! Unsatisfied, he wants to be even bigger, and that’s where things go a little haywire. The boy is simply TOO big. Too big for his favorite pants. Too big to go down the slide. Too big to play with his siblings and cuddle with his parents. Will he be able to reverse his wish and be small again? And will he be happy if he does? A gently funny “be careful what you wish for” story, I Want to Be Big is the refrain many a parent, caregiver, or educator has heard, making this an amusing and relatable story that reminds kids the best parts about being small. Colorful digital artwork plays with size, showing the boy’s giant shoe making an appearance at a family barbecue and a close-up of the boy with a tiny, tiny pair of pants on his nose. The story touches on realistic problem-solving, and how size isn’t always an issue if you can figure out how to use your environment as a workaround (no workarounds for being friends with Bigfoot, sadly). A fun readaloud choice for collections.
Mom Read It 