I'M NOT LITTLE!

A scrappy underdog has a meltdown over a short lifetime of slights but learns quickly that there are worse things than being small.

Little Shaggy is a tiny monster the size and shape of a furry car chamois. And he's got a large problem: he's had it up to here with the word "little" as it's delivered by his parents and grandparents. The word seems to define every experience of his life, from eating cereal to taking walks to reading bedtime stories. One day, Little Shaggy rages, declaring, "I am not a Little Buddy!" as he throws toys, pulls out his hair, and stomps around with his, yes, little feet. The joke turns out to be that for all his stress, Little Shaggy turns to crying mush when he's introduced to his new baby sister. "But I DON’T WANT TO BE BIG!" he wails. With skewed but lavishly detailed artwork that surrounds Shaggy's drama with cozy, domestic touchstones, the story is the perfect object lesson for any runt, pipsqueak, half-pint, or shrimp with a complex about the unfairness of life. Shaggy's expressions of annoyance, frustration, and ultimately, defiance, are expertly conveyed, and there's no skimping on the cleverness of how the L word is deployed throughout.

Rarely is a full-blown temper tantrum as much fun or as instructive to witness