Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie Kingsley
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cheerful look at the relative sizes of things in our world.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
ARE YOU SMALL? compares the size of things we usually think of as small -- kids, hamsters, sand -- and then jumps into the world of very small things -- atoms, molecules, quarks -- to show how big we really are. A small kid is enormous when compared to a baby tooth, which is bigger than a grain of sand, and electrons are even tinier. Size is relative!
Is It Any Good?
With funny faces and lighthearted asides, Mo Willems shows the concept of relative size and reminds readers there's a lot to be found in tiny things. Are You Small? takes our idea of small and turns it around, bringing great perspective to kids who are often told they're small. The pages have few words and lots of empty space, emphasizing the smallness of everything shown. The end of the book has actual size comparisons, and a handy ruler on the back cover for readers to measure anything nearby.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what makes them feel big or small, like the comparison in Are You Small? when a cell is compared to a molecule. What situations make you feel like you're big or small?
What small things do you like to play with? Do you feel big next to them?
Are there people you feel big with and people you feel small with? What makes you feel that way?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Mo Willems
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : STEM
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Union Square Kids
- Publication date : June 4, 2024
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 5
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Hardback
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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