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I'm Not Small: A Joyful Picture Book About Size and Comparisons for Children
What makes you big? What makes you small? From acclaimed author-illustrator Nina Crews comes a picture book that introduces young children to the concepts of size and comparisons. A great choice for emerging readers, school classrooms, and storytime sharing.
Time to play outside! It's easy for a young boy to feel small in a world that is made up of big, big things. But when he takes a closer look, he discovers that he is big, too. His dog is smaller than he is, and his cat is smaller than his dog. And the teeny-tiny ant crawling through the grass? Even smaller!
I'm Not Small will spark family and classroom conversations about the concepts of size and size comparisons, about growing up, about feeling seen, and about observing the world around you. Playful text and bright, detailed illustrations also make it easy to learn about comparing and categorizing objects. A must-have for fans of Anna Kang and Christopher Weyant's You Are (Not) Small.
Time to play outside! It's easy for a young boy to feel small in a world that is made up of big, big things. But when he takes a closer look, he discovers that he is big, too. His dog is smaller than he is, and his cat is smaller than his dog. And the teeny-tiny ant crawling through the grass? Even smaller!
I'm Not Small will spark family and classroom conversations about the concepts of size and size comparisons, about growing up, about feeling seen, and about observing the world around you. Playful text and bright, detailed illustrations also make it easy to learn about comparing and categorizing objects. A must-have for fans of Anna Kang and Christopher Weyant's You Are (Not) Small.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published May 17, 2022
About the author
Nina Crews
31 books14 followersNina Crews is a well known author and an illustrator children's books. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 5, 2023
A lovely book that should win awards,but probably will be overlooked in favor of something more of the moment.
The Crews family: Donald Crews, Ann Jonas, and the author of this book, their daughter Nina, should be declared a national treasure, and this book is a delight. Though the drawings were done by computer, Nina Crews incorporates collage with photos and texts to make art that is beautifully realistic, yet still has whimsy, especially in the plant textures. The story, like all the books this family makes, is simple and pitched perfectly to the world view of a child--here a little boy venturing outside on his own. This is the sort of book that renews my love for picture books.
The Crews family: Donald Crews, Ann Jonas, and the author of this book, their daughter Nina, should be declared a national treasure, and this book is a delight. Though the drawings were done by computer, Nina Crews incorporates collage with photos and texts to make art that is beautifully realistic, yet still has whimsy, especially in the plant textures. The story, like all the books this family makes, is simple and pitched perfectly to the world view of a child--here a little boy venturing outside on his own. This is the sort of book that renews my love for picture books.
June 3, 2022
I adored this one! But I'm also a huge Nina Crews fan, so I adore her stuff anyway. But I think this one was even more special because it made me think of my nephew, who is growing up and becoming a big kid himself. I know what he's getting for his next present!
The art is bright, colorful and bold and perfect for toddler storytimes. And while the main character may feel small at times, he points out all the things outside that he his bigger than. The joy of getting to explore your yard on your own for the first time as a kid because you're a big kid now is palpable. Yet as much as our unnamed character loves being big, he also recognizes that it's ok to also be small sometimes too. Toddler/preschool perfection in a book.
The art is bright, colorful and bold and perfect for toddler storytimes. And while the main character may feel small at times, he points out all the things outside that he his bigger than. The joy of getting to explore your yard on your own for the first time as a kid because you're a big kid now is palpable. Yet as much as our unnamed character loves being big, he also recognizes that it's ok to also be small sometimes too. Toddler/preschool perfection in a book.
December 12, 2022
Rating: 5 leaves out of 5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes
February 16, 2023
This was a lovely book. I think it should have won the Caldecott medal for a few reasons. The main reason I believe it should have won the medal is because of the creative way of teaching kids emotions and a way to look a life differently for satisfaction. Another reason why I believe it should have won the medal is because of its hyperrealism illustrations. The illustrations have amazing details and that makes them look real. They do not just look like typical book illustrations. I also really like how the illustrations had focus points depending on what the boy was mentioning on the page. For example, when he mentioned being bigger than sparrows, if you follow his eyes they will lead you straight to the sparrows. Even without following the sparrows, they are enlarged on the page and it is noticeable that they are the important focal point of the illustration. Overall, the book is great and should have won the Caldecott award.
February 8, 2023
The story highlights the feeling of being a child and feeling small in a big world. A mother grants a little boy permission to play outside by himself for the first time. As he is exploring this new feeling of independence, he begins to feel small. Although the trees and sky are taller than this little boy, he realizes that he is big compared to all of the animals, or insects, he discovers in his backyard. He realizes he is probably big and intimidating to the little ants on the ground. He is not as small as he thinks he is. The story includes sweet and simplistic illustrations. This story reminds us of the relatable feeling of becoming a “big kid” and growing up. This book would be great to share with younger students who are maybe experiencing new feelings of growth and independence soon. Most likely preschool or kindergarten.
November 13, 2022
This does a solid job of teaching the relative concept of "big" and "small" as related to the young boy.
A boy's mother gives him permission to go outside because he is a "big kid". When he gets outside, he notes the sky is big, trees are big, and the backyard is big, but he is small in comparison. By the same token, he realizes he is big compared to his dog, cat, rabbit, and sparrows are smaller than he is. He celebrates being both big and small.
Crews has distilled this text, making the concept approachable for toddlers. Her collage artwork was done using Photoshop. The textures are amazing!
Use for big/small, kindness, and self-discovery.
Recommended for Toddler- PreK.
A boy's mother gives him permission to go outside because he is a "big kid". When he gets outside, he notes the sky is big, trees are big, and the backyard is big, but he is small in comparison. By the same token, he realizes he is big compared to his dog, cat, rabbit, and sparrows are smaller than he is. He celebrates being both big and small.
Crews has distilled this text, making the concept approachable for toddlers. Her collage artwork was done using Photoshop. The textures are amazing!
Use for big/small, kindness, and self-discovery.
Recommended for Toddler- PreK.
May 25, 2023
A boy is big enough to play outside by himself but he doesn't think so at first. This book is an exploration of a boys perspective in the world and what is considered big and small. The illustrations are a mix of drawings and collage, which I sometimes like, but in this case I wasn't a fan. Having pictures of real items, collage, and drawings was distracting for me and made it hard to focus on the message of the book.
February 3, 2025
The illustrations in this book are amazing and the message is so sweet. This book follows a young boy who feels big, but once he steps outside, he feels small because everything around him feels big. This book can be used in the classroom to help children understand that being "small" doesn't mean they are less capable or less important than others. This book can help children create a positive self-image of themselves and build confidence because being small is a good thing.
May 26, 2022
A boy considers relative size as he plays in the backyard. He is big, compared to his dog, cat, rabbit, and other animals, but he is small, compared to the trees and sky and his mom. Nice conceptual book, with springy illustrations including some photos used as collage elements among the digital art.
July 1, 2022
A young boy ventures outside to play on his own for the first time, and learns that he is both big and small.
This is a sweet slice-of-life story featuring a brown-skinned family and textured digital collages. Simple text, repetition, and a large, easy-to-read font makes this suitable for toddlers and the learning-to-read crowd.
This is a sweet slice-of-life story featuring a brown-skinned family and textured digital collages. Simple text, repetition, and a large, easy-to-read font makes this suitable for toddlers and the learning-to-read crowd.
July 25, 2022
A young boy wants to go outside and play because the sun is out. His mother tells him to go ahead because he's big. He explores the world in his yard, deciding what is big/tall and what is small. Ultimately he decides there are advantages to being big at times, and small at others. The illustrations are quite lovely also.
January 24, 2023
A boy is excited that he's big enough to play outside by himself. When he gets out there, he realizes he's not as big as the trees, but he's not as small as some animals. A great book about size for preschoolers. Would be good for an outdoor storytime where kids can compare their size to things around them.
February 10, 2023
The book I’m Not Small is one of the best books I have read so far on the illustration skills. Even though this story is short sentences, it is still a very good read and is super appealing to children I would assume. I would also say this story consists of some of the most thought-out illustrations to go with each sentence.
June 4, 2022
Size from a perspective of a child. He is small in comparison to the tree but big in comparison to his dog. What I personally found interesting is the fact that the family is having bagels for breakfast, something I have not seen in a book before!
August 10, 2022
I'm Not Small is a wonderful comparison book for young listeners. A little boy talks about being small and big at the same time. He's bigger than his dog, but smaller then a tree.
Reviewed from a library copy.
Reviewed from a library copy.
February 2, 2023
Lots of comparing and contrasting of sizes.
The kid is big enough to go outside on his own, but other things are bigger. He's bigger than the dog, who is bigger than the cat. A small ant carries a big crumb.
The cut-paper illustrations make nice contrasts.
The kid is big enough to go outside on his own, but other things are bigger. He's bigger than the dog, who is bigger than the cat. A small ant carries a big crumb.
The cut-paper illustrations make nice contrasts.
May 9, 2023
Perfect for toddler & preK storytimes with great text however the illustrations fall short -- they're an odd assortment of digitized, amateur, almost-collage (?) images.
Themes: big and small; nature
Ages: toddler - Kindergarten
Pub year: 2022
Themes: big and small; nature
Ages: toddler - Kindergarten
Pub year: 2022
May 17, 2022
Geisel award worthy.
May 22, 2022
An exploration of relative size through a child's encounters in his family's backyard.
Read
May 24, 2022This is a sweet book about a little boy who finds himself small at the right times and big at the others.
June 6, 2022
Fun story that could be used to talk with kids about proportion and size.
June 13, 2022
Sweet story about size from a child's perspective. This little boy compares himself to other things and notes whether he is big or small.
Use to introduce size concepts.
Use to introduce size concepts.
June 23, 2022
POC main character, size, independence
Activity: Using felt shapes, talk about what is bigger and what is smaller
Activity: Using felt shapes, talk about what is bigger and what is smaller
June 24, 2022
A little boy talks about things that are big or small or sometimes both! Simple and straight to the point, a nice book for story time with fun digital mixed media artwork.
June 30, 2022
Quiet story about a little boy’s perspective on size. I liked that the text is simple and most of the story could be read by a beginner reader.
July 13, 2022
I love this! It would be fabulous for an early math storytime and could even be made into a flannel very effectively to compare size.
August 4, 2022
Fascinating illustrations. Could be a math book about relative size. Greater than, less than? Adorable, but sparse.
August 5, 2022
Cute and simple, has potential for a quick story time book. I liked the illustrations and the simplicity of the story, but still a simple sweet message.
August 10, 2022
A young boy is big enough to go outside and explore on his own - and he contemplates his size compared to other things that are bigger and smaller.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews