When I'm big by Karen Blair

Being told she will be a big girl soon sits uneasily with the story’s hero as she imagines what might happen when she is big. Will this mean she can run faster or jump higher or help get things that are too high for others to reach. Does it mean she will be bigger than Gran and so be able to help her, or will she be so big that she no longer fits in the bath. Then other thoughts strike her, will she be too big for her bed, or even her house. Will she be too big to play with her toys. Being big seems very problematic as she imagines walking between buildings, and no one her size to play with. Telling Mum her concerns she comes to realise that the bigness is only in relation to the new baby, which will be small, just like she once was. Being big simply means taking on new responsibilities as a sibling.

A charming story of siblings, of welcoming a new baby into the household, of allaying the fears that may be harboured, told through the idea of size. The young girl cannot comprehend what people mean when they say she will soon be a big girl and imagines all sorts of literal meanings, hilariously brought to life in Blair’s lovely illustrations. Told with humour, readers will laugh at the image of the girl trying to get into the swimming pool or sleeping with her feet in the garden, or talking to a giraffe, now smaller than she. The concept of size will be discussed as she finds that being a "big girl" means something quite different than the actual meaning.

A lovely gentle book for children about having a new baby in the house, or to talk about size, or simply about families, the book lends it self to a variety of ideas in the classroom and at home.

Themes: Size, Sibling, Families, Humour.

Fran Knight