Big & Little

by Steve Jenkins

Book Overview

Each spread of Big and Little shows animals that are related to each other but vary greatly in size. All animals are illustrated on the same scale, so readers can compare them throughout the book. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439785022
• ISBN13: 9780439785020
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Scale Size

This 1996 book is a precursor to Jenkins' highly acclaimed "Actual Size" (2004). While the latter book fulfills the title's promise by showing animals and animal body parts in their actual size, this book shows them in 1:8 scale; that is, the animals are drawn accurately, but 1/8 smaller than actual size. Although many of the two books' animals are the same, and Jenkins again contrasts large and small animals for contrast and wonder, "Big and Little" is simply not as fascinating as "Actual Size." Unlike "Actual Size," "Big and Little" shows most of the animals in their entirety. Once doesn't get the "WOW" factor of looking straight into a close-up of giant squid's eyes or a shark's mouth. Big and Little relies greatly on the contrasting sizes of animal pairs on two-page spread ; for example, a Siberian tiger and a Siamese cat, an ostrich and a hummingbird, a cat shark and a great white shark. While Jenkins uses the cut-paper collages of "Actual Size," he seems more timid here; the animal hides and skins are less textured and the color schemes more conventional. Jenkins again includes brief descriptions of each animal pictured in the book, but they are shorter and not as interesting as in his latter book. If "Actual Size" had never been written I'd give this a higher rating; with his new book Jenkins has set a higher standard for himself and other writers. The main advantages of "Big and Little" are the lower price and the relatively more simple pictures that may be more comprehensible than "Actual Size" to very young toddlers or infants. Aside from that, I strongly recommend his newer book over this one.