Measuring me by Nicola Kent

This book is such a delight. It will help a child make sense of themselves through a series of easy to understand comparisons. This book should be added to all preschool and Kindergarten classrooms. Every child will also potentially see themselves in these pages too:

The children depicted are diverse: one uses a walking aid, for example, and the girl on the cover has a tracheostomy to aid her breathing. Kent has a tracheostomy herself, and knows how vital it is for children with physical differences to find themselves represented incidentally ‘as part of the rainbow of humanity’ in books and other media. It’s particularly welcome to see a book about the wonders of the human body quietly taking this approach. Books for Keeps

• I'm as tall as ten tin cans.
• My nose can detect 50,000 different scent and my tongue has thousands of taste buds.
• The biggest bone is my thigh bone. It's about the height of a cat.
• When I'm standing still my body gives off enough energy to power a light bulb.

Written from the perspective of a child and featuring bright, adorable illustrations of different children, the book captures the sense of curiosity and wonder that children have for the world around them. It introduces the concept of measuring in a personal and relatable way, making it easier for young learners to grasp – and to have fun with!  Book Trust

This book would make a wonderful gift for a young child aged 3-6. If you are reading this book to your class Kane Miller the US publisher have a set of discussion questions. 

A brilliant bonus at the back of the book is an equally ingenious, sturdy, height chart. This has the usual measuring tape along one side, but tins in the middle and animals beside them so you can compare them to your own height and to each other. Emperor penguins are much larger than I imagined! You are encouraged to find other things to measure yourself against too and I can see this provoking lots of excited activity. Love Reading 4Kids

You can see lots of other books by Nicola Kent here. They sure do look appealing.

You Rule! by Rilla Alexander

The subtitle of this book is "A book of possibilities" and that is so true.

How ready are you? 

not at all; thinking about it; just another minute; preparing; ready and willing; on my way; almost there; enthusiastic; can't wait; fired up; rarin' to go

Take a look at these answers - now think about them as a sequence. Can you see how they move from not ready to go go go! To show this progression the author/illustrator uses font size and saturation of the font black from pale to bold. And above the words, the child from the cover with his huge ruler, is climbing up a set of stairs ready to open the door. His small caterpillar companion has his pencil. Meanwhile the dog is not ready because he is digging a hole and heading the other way. 

Turn the page - How big are you?

On this one the sequence is in reverse order from soaring and sky-high down to teeny tiny, sprouting and microscopic. 

The caterpillar stands on the nose of the dog and the boy uses his pencil to mark the height chart.

Turn the page - How strong are you?

This page has fabulous words such as tenacious, robust, indestructible, solid, unsteady, flexible and mighty.

The boy and his dog are playing tug-of-war, and the caterpillar is helping his friend. 

And so we continue - How fast are you? How happy are you? How kind are you? How brave are you? How much do you know? How much do you have? How much can you do? How long will it take? How far can you go? How much do I love you?

Meanwhile the caterpillar is changing until the butterfly arrives on the final pages but wait there is another character. Where did that tiger come from?

Do you love the cover? I do! Turn inside and yes, the end papers are brilliant - at the front is a caterpillar munching a leaf and at the back a tiny butterfly flies off the corner of the page. The full-color illustrations were rendered in rubber stamps and digital collage. And under the dust jacket there is a surprise. It would so be good to add this book to your school library. My friend paid AUS$37 for this book but I have seen it listed for AUS$27 too. Here in Australia, I also found a bargain copy for AUS$15 but you might need to act fast! If I had this book in my classroom, I would display each double page for a week and use it as a discussion starter. There are enough pages to do this for a whole term. And think about all the rich words your group will encounter - diminutive, unsteady, hustling, supersonic, exhilarated, ecstatic, considerate, obliging, heroic, defiant, vulnerable, gutsy, an abundance, and immeasurably.

Bookseller blurb: This is a wonderfully affirmative and aspirational book of possibilities and exploration, a fantastic linguistic calibration/celebration of bravery, kindness, love, and so much more. Within this bright and colorful picture book and energetic glossary of words, Rilla Alexander brilliantly succeeds in measuring the immeasurables of life.

The publisher page says:

• BUILDS EMOTIONAL LANGUAGE: This book provides the linguistic tools to describe and measure the widest possible emotions and qualities with a rich palette of words saturated in wit, whimsy, and empathy.
• THE PERFECT GIFT FOR YOUNG AND OLD: Whether you are shopping for a baby gift, a graduation gift, or browsing the library shelves for a book to soothe a child getting ready to start school, this book is for you!
• A GENTLE MESSAGE OF INSPIRATION AND IMAGINATION: Follow along as a boy and his dog tenderly care for a lost caterpillar until its transformation and release as a glorious butterfly.
• GORGEOUS, BOLD ILLUSTRATIONS: The author's bright, kid-friendly artwork makes an instant impression-a feast for the mind and the eyes!

Often, responses cavort playfully on pages so readers have to turn the book—or their heads!—to read text, as is the case with the question “How strong are you?” for which answers appear on a rope with which the child plays tug of war with a dog. ...  This unique, clever offering will enhance visual literacy and help readers develop vocabulary. How do you measure a terrific, winning book? By the learning and smiles it will surely generate. Kirkus

Based on the author’s nephew who she features in the book, children will realize that not everything in life can be measured or tracked. Kids like to use rulers to measure things. They like to see how far they can jump, how tall they are, or how far they can throw. But, you can’t really measure how kind you are or how much you are loved. Children's Book Review Sincerely Stacey

Rilla Alexander is an Australian designer, illustrator, and artist whose work has appeared on everything from toys and teacups to buses and buildings. She explores creativity, ideas, and language through simple characters, graphic forms, and bold colors, inspiring both children and adults through books and workshops. Her picture books include The Best Book in the World, You Rule!, Her Idea, The New Rooster, and The Thingamajig. She lives in Los Angeles, USA. You can hear her talking here. (17 minutes talking about how creativity works).

I am very keen to see her other books and I will add her board books to my wish list.

Big by Tim Hopgood

Yesterday I talked about Little Answer by Tim Hopgood.  I think Big is even better.  Size is such an abstract concept.  When a new Kindergarten child enters our school library it looks so BIG.  When students call in to visit after they have left Primary and headed off to High School the first thing every student says is 'wow this library looks so small!'

I think my favourite page comes early in the book when the little boy explains he is growing bigger and the evidence for this is that he can now see his face in the bathroom mirror.  The illustration is just perfect.

If you need a way to explain the way size is relative think about these words :

"To an ant, I'm a ginormous giant. But next to a bear I'm really quite small."  The accompanying text on these pages moves from large to tiny which adds to the fun.

You could pair this book with I'm coming to get you illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura which has the most perfect surprise ending.  You might also enjoy Counting on Frank and How big is big which was written by some students at a Primary school here in Sydney.  I mention Counting on Frank because it jumped into my mind when I read the words "Next to a popcorn I'm massive.  I must be at least 500 popcorns tall."  Here is a maths lesson everyone would enjoy.

I would also link this book with a very old title - Leo the late bloomer which is the perfect book to explore the idea of growing and changing with young children.

Once you have read Big you will want to set up one of those height measuring charts or use a door frame in your home as you explore the idea of growing taller with a young child.

Here is an interview with Tim Hopgood.  I can see we will need to add many more of his special picture books to our library collection.