Review of BIG

    BIG by Vashti Harrison 

Genre/Category

BIG is a work of children's fiction. The category I am reviewing for is Pre-K-6th grade Texas 2x2.

Target Age Group

This children's picture book is suitable for kids aged 4-8, or in preschool through 3rd grade.

Summary

BIG follows an unnamed, young ballet dancer as she experiences the hardships of growing up and being labeled as "bigger" than other children and is given limited opportunities compared to her peers as a result of their perceptions of her. Despite the poor treatment she receives and the name-calling, our protagonist learns the importance of self-acceptance and self-love. She learns that she is in control of defining herself instead of internalizing the words and categories others place upon her.

Justification

This Texas 2X2 from New York Times bestselling creator Vashti Harrison is a recent publication within the last couple of years that has been receiving a lot of circulation at the public library I work at for great reasons! BIG is a book that deals directly with self-love and body acceptance in the face of societal expectations on young Black girls. It contains important themes that should be accessible for all children to understand themselves, their bodies, and why the only voice that matters when it comes to opinions about how to exist in the world is one's own.

Evaluation

Though this title is rich for analysis in many aspects, I have limited my scope for this review to the book's illustrations, dialogue, and points of view.

Illustrations

Some of the first aspects that stand out in BIG are the chalk illustrations and pastel pink accents all  over each page. This combination creates a feeling of nostalgia, girlhood, and femininity. Our protagonist is also illustrated in a way that highlights her facial expressions, love of ballet with her outfits, and her graceful movements. As this is her story, the illustrations aid in bringing her to the forefront, as her brown skin and dark curls are crafted in great detail, and other characters exist as one-dimensional pink shadowy figures. Illustrations in BIG create a fluid sense of movement as the protagonist moves across the pages. Notably, what the illustrations do above all else is exemplify the way the harsh critiques from other people make the protagonist feel inside. As the words literally come at her, she begins to internalize them, becoming larger and devoid of her favorite color, pink, as she fills up the pages. When she begins to define herself instead of letting others do so, she returns back down to size.  

Dialogue

In BIG, words are often built into the illustrations themselves. The color, typeface, size, and capitalization of the words all create different effects. For example, when defining herself, the protagonist's words are pink, cursive, and flowy. When others describe her in harsh language the words are darker, in print, and sometimes all caps. The words themselves get larger in some instances as well, as if literally attacking her. Playing with language in this way is an effective tool in helping young audiences to see the impact of one's words. In many cases, words can feel alive and have real, lasting effects. Additionally, words we use to define ourselves can also be powerful, such as in the final pages when the protagonist's word return to being curly and pink as she reminds herself of all the qualities she chooses to focus on and love. 

Point of View/Perspective

BIG primarily is told from the perspective of a third-person narrator in the past tense. The narrator presents themselves in more of an adult position recounting the story of our protagonist. The dialogue and illustrations evaluated previously also allow for multiple perspectives to exist at once. While the narrator's matter-of-fact voice retells story events, the perspective of our protagonist exists in her thoughts, facial expressions, and actions. The background characters that impact the protagonist share their perspectives through their own words, actions, and expressions. Having multiple perspectives at once in addition to the narrator guiding us along makes for a dynamic and engaging narrative. It helps us to know what is happening, as well as how the characters are reacting, allowing us to engage with the mood as it changes. 

Reference

Harrison, V. (2023). BIG. Hatchette Book Group.