BIG KIDS

Everything about school seems terrifying, but nothing’s as scary as the big kids.

The big kids are loud and, well, big. They play “big-kid games” and smile “big-kid grins.” Seen through the young protagonist’s impressed and overwhelmed eyes, these kids are larger than life. Making creative use of typography, the text captures the kinds of details that children home in on, like the way the older students’ “big feet make big noises, like bass drums beating in a big-kid band.” And when they “stand outside, they make l o o o o o n g shadows.” The new students are each assigned a buddy, a helpful older student who shows them the ropes. Though initially frightened, the protagonist soon realizes that this big kid isn’t scary. He shepherds the narrator to the right classroom, the cafeteria (where his “great big arms stretch so high they reach all the way up to the chocolate pudding”), and the library. Best of all, he helps the protagonist sink a basket on the playground. The digital illustrations are the stars of the show, using exaggerated perspective and proportions to depict the big kids as literal giants who dwarf the protagonist. By day’s end, though, both youngsters are normal size, and readers will internalize an important message: These big kids clearly have big hearts. The narrator and the buddy are Black; the supporting cast is diverse.

Just the right size for easing school anxieties.