Big (Caldecott Medal Winner & Coretta Scott King Honor Title)

This powerful picture book explores the emotional weight of a single word—"big"—as it transforms from childhood praise to hurtful label. Through stunning Caldecott Medal-winning illustrations and spare, poetic text, Vashti Harrison captures how language shapes identity when a young Black girl internalizes others' perceptions of her body. The artwork masterfully conveys the shrinking feeling of being othered, using scale and color to visualize the psychological impact of microaggressions.

What makes this work exceptional is how it validates the experience of children navigating body image issues while offering a path toward self-acceptance. Harrison's gentle storytelling and radiant illustrations create space for difficult conversations about bullying, self-worth, and reclaiming one's narrative. Young readers who've ever felt too much of anything will find solace in this Coretta Scott King Honor book's message about the revolutionary act of loving yourself exactly as you are.