Am I Big or Little?

Margaret Park Bridges is the author of Will You Take Care of Me?, If I Were Your Mother, and If I Were Your Father. She lives in Littleton, Massachusetts.

Tracy Dockray has illustrated several books for children and adults, including Grimm's Grimmest. She also designs fabric and paints murals for children's rooms, hospitals, and schools. She lives in New York City.

PreSchool-A ginger-haired child spends the course of a day exploring the concept of her size in relation to the rest of the world. The conversation launches with the early morning question, "Mommy, am I little or am I big?" The answer is, "You're both, sweet pea." A series of patterned text follows: "You're little enough to crawl under your bed." "But I'm big enough to reach out and tickle you!" While this rapid switching from a child's to an adult's voice might be confusing to some young listeners and may indeed be a bit tedious to those older than three, Dockray's watercolor illustrations add some zest to the presentation. Their depiction of a very active preschooler, her patient kitty, and her woebegone, but obviously beloved panda will appeal to the storytime crowd; however, the intimate tone of the text makes this a more likely selection for one-on-one sharing.
Sue Sherif, Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library, AK
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