AM I BIG OR LITTLE?

A wry look at the unique dichotomy that is part and parcel of early childhood, this playful tale examines that nebulous time period when children are alternately big enough to do some things while too small to do others. Following the same successful format of her earlier titles, Bridges (If I Were Your Father, 1999, etc.) sets up the book as a dialogue between parent and child. A little girl wonders how she can be both big and little. In the ensuing whimsical exchange, mother and daughter explore the myriad ways in which the cherubic tot is both large and small. Their voices are distinct, with the mother affectionately describing all the reasons her daughter is still little while the child exuberantly proclaims her newfound abilities. “You’re little enough to ride piggyback to the stairs.” “But I’m big enough to hop all the way down.” Many of the examples illuminate the tiny accomplishments that herald a child’s fledgling independence; from serving her “guests” first at a tea party to patiently waiting for dessert. Lest readers think the young girl is becoming too sedate, she gleefully revels in childish pleasures, reaching out from beneath her bed to tickle her mother’s ankles and dressing her cat up like an infant. Dockray’s watercolors adeptly capture the exuberance of childhood. Her energetic drawings feature a doe-eyed child, with a mass of fiery-colored, corkscrew curls rioting about her head, cheerfully scampering about. Unabashedly sentimental, this cozy tale is ideal for lap sharing. (Picture book. 3-7)