Texas 2x2 - BIG by Vashti Harrison

BIG by Vashti Harrison

Springfield-Greene County Library's (SGCL) catalog in the Children's Award and picture books genres, as well as being a Caldecott Award Winner (2024), and a Texas 2x2 Award Winner.

Target age range for this book is four to eight, and will be included within searches involving the following terms within juvenile fiction: physical-appearance-based bias, identity (psychology), self-acceptance, self-confidence, African American girls.

BIG follows a young girl's journey to accept herself for who she really is, and the powerful impact of words upon individuals of any age.  This book also enables self-help for those struggling with criticism regarding their appearance. 

This book was chosen for a few reasons.  First, living in Missouri, I am not familiar with the Texas 2x2 award, and research provided insight.  Second, BIG, addresses the issue(s) of body shaming and self-acceptance.  Third, for someone who has been big and tall for most of their life, it was wonderful to see a book addressing this very issue.

For this blog entry, I will be evaluating style and language, character, and illustrations.

The style and language utilized within BIG is what one would expect considering the age group (four to eight): short words and sentences enables young readers to easily grasp the subject content with minimal words on each page - sufficiently conveying that particular plot segment in relation to the illustration(s).  For example, the first word at the beginning of the story is entirely capitalized, as are key portions of illustrations: DREAM BIG on the main character's outfit, and the use of BIG throughout (Harrison, 2023), particularly the metaphorical tattoos.

BIG's main character is a nameless young girl symbolizing body shaming - physical characteristics behind her control.  The main character becomes realistic and relatable in part due to experiencing and exhibiting so many emotions: shame, frustration, pain, but also self-acceptance, adaptability, and self-awareness - providing inspiration through example in a manner that the age groups can identify with.  

Initially, illustrations are light and colorful with gentle pastels which change as the plot proceeds to exemplify growth.  Pink and white are dominant throughout to represent the character's attributes; however, darker colors are introduced when others exert influence.  One major transformation occurs when the character stands-up for herself, mostly rejecting the negative connotations while retaining the positive ones essential to her character; the darker images remain for they have been essential in shaping her character.

Cabrera, K. (2023). BIG book cover. Texas Standard - The Daily News Show of Texas. Retrieved June 2, 2024, from https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/big-childrens-book-vashti-harrison/.

Harrison, V. (2023). Big (V. Harrison, Illus). Little, Brown and Company.