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Are You Small?
Mo Willems, #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author-illustrator, zooms in on the smallest things in the universe to explore one of life’s most elemental questions in this nonfiction picture book about the relationship between size and scale.
Are YOU small?
A little question sends readers on a BIG adventure to see the smallest of the small. From an average-size kid . . . to a cookie crumb . . . to a water molecule . . . all the way down to a single quark, readers discover that size is a matter of perspective.
The perfect companion title to Mo Willems’ breakout title, Are You Big?, this early-learning concept book features bold text, expressive art, and real-world science.
Are YOU small?
A little question sends readers on a BIG adventure to see the smallest of the small. From an average-size kid . . . to a cookie crumb . . . to a water molecule . . . all the way down to a single quark, readers discover that size is a matter of perspective.
The perfect companion title to Mo Willems’ breakout title, Are You Big?, this early-learning concept book features bold text, expressive art, and real-world science.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published June 4, 2024
About the author
Mo Willems
195 books4,009 followers#1 New York Times Bestselling author and illustrator Mo Willems is best known for his Caldecott Honor winning picture books Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale.
In addition to such picture books as Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, and Time to Pee, Mo has created the Elephant and Piggie books, a series of early readers, and published You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons, an annotated cartoon journal sketched during a year-long voyage around the world in 1990-91.
The New York Times Book Review called Mo “the biggest new talent to emerge thus far in the 00's."
Mo’s work books have been translated into a myriad of languages, spawned animated shorts and theatrical musical productions, and his illustrations, wire sculpture, and carved ceramics have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the nation.
Mo began his career as a writer and animator for television, garnering 6 Emmy awards for his writing on Sesame Street, creating Nickelodeon's The Off-Beats, Cartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City and head-writing Codename: Kids Next Door.
He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his family.
In addition to such picture books as Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, and Time to Pee, Mo has created the Elephant and Piggie books, a series of early readers, and published You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons, an annotated cartoon journal sketched during a year-long voyage around the world in 1990-91.
The New York Times Book Review called Mo “the biggest new talent to emerge thus far in the 00's."
Mo’s work books have been translated into a myriad of languages, spawned animated shorts and theatrical musical productions, and his illustrations, wire sculpture, and carved ceramics have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the nation.
Mo began his career as a writer and animator for television, garnering 6 Emmy awards for his writing on Sesame Street, creating Nickelodeon's The Off-Beats, Cartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City and head-writing Codename: Kids Next Door.
He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
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June 11, 2024
An excellent follow-up to Are You Big?, and the final line is especially poignant.
However, it does get into concepts that small children might not understand and parents won't enjoy needing to stop reading to explain.
However, it does get into concepts that small children might not understand and parents won't enjoy needing to stop reading to explain.
October 8, 2024
Comparative sizes, starting with a child and progressing to a quark. Mindly interesting but not particularly humorous.
October 21, 2024
A fun and simple text that discusses a scientific topic like size/relativity in a way that is accessible to elementary audiences.
Mo Willems is focused on the idea of size and comparison of things, a topic that is important in order to learn about more complex scientific concepts. He has also written Are You Big?, discussing the same idea but in the reverse. The author asks the reader 'are you small', and then goes on to list different things that are smaller than the reader but larger in comparison to other things, like a hamster or a tooth. There is also little notes referring to the item and how it can seem bigger/better even though it is small in size, like a crumb of a cookie being yummy. The end repeats the same question to the reader, but then shows a picture of an adult, illuminating that while the reader might not be small compared to some things, they are compared to others.
I really liked this book, but not as much as the other book the author has written on this topic. I think the idea of the book was to cater to a young elementary audience, but some of the really small concepts that the author brings up are too complex to be understood by a young student. The text is readable as a read-aloud, and does prepare students for deeper conversation about size and comparison. The illustrations are fun and imaginative, and I love how the items previously referred to remain on the pages as larger than the next item. There is also a little glossary/note at the back of the book that discusses how big each item featured in the book actually is, and that the drawings are not to scale.
I think that this book could be used in a variety of elementary curricular contexts (but with some context needed for some of the ideas); as a read aloud, a introduction to a lesson on size/comparing/self/scientific ideas like cells and atoms/etc. Overall, an informational and engaging elementary book.
Mo Willems is focused on the idea of size and comparison of things, a topic that is important in order to learn about more complex scientific concepts. He has also written Are You Big?, discussing the same idea but in the reverse. The author asks the reader 'are you small', and then goes on to list different things that are smaller than the reader but larger in comparison to other things, like a hamster or a tooth. There is also little notes referring to the item and how it can seem bigger/better even though it is small in size, like a crumb of a cookie being yummy. The end repeats the same question to the reader, but then shows a picture of an adult, illuminating that while the reader might not be small compared to some things, they are compared to others.
I really liked this book, but not as much as the other book the author has written on this topic. I think the idea of the book was to cater to a young elementary audience, but some of the really small concepts that the author brings up are too complex to be understood by a young student. The text is readable as a read-aloud, and does prepare students for deeper conversation about size and comparison. The illustrations are fun and imaginative, and I love how the items previously referred to remain on the pages as larger than the next item. There is also a little glossary/note at the back of the book that discusses how big each item featured in the book actually is, and that the drawings are not to scale.
I think that this book could be used in a variety of elementary curricular contexts (but with some context needed for some of the ideas); as a read aloud, a introduction to a lesson on size/comparing/self/scientific ideas like cells and atoms/etc. Overall, an informational and engaging elementary book.
October 26, 2024
This is a book that is (apparently) part of a pair. The other is entitled "Are You Big?"
In this book, the abstract concept (which is relative) is introduced first with items that are familiar to young readers and then items that will be unfamiliar, mainly because they cannot be seen without a microscope--sometimes a very powerful microscope.
The items have little faces and sometimes limbs on them, giving them expression that draws in the reader:
Book, hamster, tooth, cookie crumb, grain of sand, cell, water molecule, hydrogen atom, electron, quark.
I can see children enjoying this book even if a quark is very difficult to understand. Nevertheless, as they grow up and encounter words such as cell, molecule, and atom, they will remember these words and concepts and be more willing to pay attention to science (biology, chemistry, and physics) after hearing this book read to them when they were small.
The book ends by asking the reader, "Are you small?" An adult pats a child on the head and says, "You are to me!'
July 29, 2024
This companion book to Are You Big?, Mo Willems tells us about things that are smaller than the average KID -- like this BOOK (5 times smaller), a HAMSTER (1.5 times smaller in width than this book), all the way down to one UPQUARK (5 nonillion times smaller in mass than the average kid.
As with the book about Big, I am not a huge fan of the illustration style. I do love the cool facts inside. Many a kid will get a kick out of informing others about things like how much smaller a GRAIN OF SAND is than a COOKIE CRUMB. Willems also notes that there are surely smaller things yet to discover and that will be a big deal. BTW, in case you were wondering, "the average KID is 1.5 times smaller in height than the average GROWN-UP."
As with the book about Big, I am not a huge fan of the illustration style. I do love the cool facts inside. Many a kid will get a kick out of informing others about things like how much smaller a GRAIN OF SAND is than a COOKIE CRUMB. Willems also notes that there are surely smaller things yet to discover and that will be a big deal. BTW, in case you were wondering, "the average KID is 1.5 times smaller in height than the average GROWN-UP."
October 9, 2024
First sentence: Are YOU small?
This book is small.
(But it has big ideas in it.)
A hamster is small.
(But it can be a big friend.)
A baby tooth is small.
(But it's a big deal when it comes out.)
Premise/plot: Are you big??? or are you small???? Mo Willems explores size and scale in this one.
My thoughts: It was a solidly good read. My expectations for Mo Willems books are always so high. If you go into this one with reasonable expectations, I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you are expecting the most super-amazing-wonderful-brilliant book of all time, then you might be a little disappointed.
This book is small.
(But it has big ideas in it.)
A hamster is small.
(But it can be a big friend.)
A baby tooth is small.
(But it's a big deal when it comes out.)
Premise/plot: Are you big??? or are you small???? Mo Willems explores size and scale in this one.
My thoughts: It was a solidly good read. My expectations for Mo Willems books are always so high. If you go into this one with reasonable expectations, I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you are expecting the most super-amazing-wonderful-brilliant book of all time, then you might be a little disappointed.
June 11, 2024
4 stars (I really liked it)
This is adorable. Just as good, if not better, than Are You Big?. Talks about lots of small things and the BIG impact they have. It's a really cute way to show perspective. There are some things that kids might not get (atom, cell, quark) but I think Willems gives enough context that the reader will be able to figure it out, and maybe even learn what they are!
This is adorable. Just as good, if not better, than Are You Big?. Talks about lots of small things and the BIG impact they have. It's a really cute way to show perspective. There are some things that kids might not get (atom, cell, quark) but I think Willems gives enough context that the reader will be able to figure it out, and maybe even learn what they are!
July 5, 2024
An excellent companion to Willems' Are You Big. This picture book begins with the question "are you small?" and shows a picture of a book. The book is compared to a hamster and the hamster is compared to a baby tooth, with each item in the comparison getting smaller and smaller. Many of the sizes will be easy to demonstrate: cookie crumb and grain of sand. Others may be a tad harder to conceptualize: hydrogen atom, electron and quark. But overall this books works and little ones will be fascinated.
July 19, 2024
What's smaller than a tooth? What's tinier than a grain of sand? Why, it's this book!
Are you small? is a delightful adventure into the microscopic world, perfect for the science-loving kid in all of us. This book makes science fun, cute, and oh-so-fascinating.
With playful illustrations, it explores the wonders of the unseen world. You'll discover how these tiny marvels are part of our everyday lives, making science feel magical and exciting.
Get ready to shrink down and dive into a world of small things. This book is a big win for curious minds everywhere!
Are you small? is a delightful adventure into the microscopic world, perfect for the science-loving kid in all of us. This book makes science fun, cute, and oh-so-fascinating.
With playful illustrations, it explores the wonders of the unseen world. You'll discover how these tiny marvels are part of our everyday lives, making science feel magical and exciting.
Get ready to shrink down and dive into a world of small things. This book is a big win for curious minds everywhere!
October 11, 2024
This book gives children a peek at a world that is smaller than them, from objects they may see everyday (a book and hamster) to the microscopic things they wouldn’t notice (like cells). It’s a cute book - quick read for kiddos with short attention spans that exemplifies how every small thing is just one part of a big thing (many cells are needed to make up a body, many grains of sand are needed to make a beach). In the end, the reader may contemplate how they can be part of something bigger.
Back matter includes more details and exact sizes of the objects mentioned within the story.
Back matter includes more details and exact sizes of the objects mentioned within the story.
August 9, 2024
This is a terrific follow-up to Are You Big?. Once a child compares himself in size to a cookie crumb, a grain of sand, or a quark, he can be satisfied that he is pretty big! The book is illustrated in what look like either cut-paper or cut-felt with facial features and limbs drawn in.
August 19, 2024
Definitely okay, but I like other Mo Willems books better.
This book does get you thinking about how other things that are small can be so important. I like how the author made things progressively smaller, but the scale compared to the previous thing was often off, especially in the case of the cell vs. the water molecule. A cell is about 300,000 times as wide of diameter as a water molecule. I know that would be extremely difficult to show in this book, but still.
This book does get you thinking about how other things that are small can be so important. I like how the author made things progressively smaller, but the scale compared to the previous thing was often off, especially in the case of the cell vs. the water molecule. A cell is about 300,000 times as wide of diameter as a water molecule. I know that would be extremely difficult to show in this book, but still.
February 23, 2024
How can you not love Mo Willems as an illustrator and as an author with a unique way of teaching us. This time it is physical size perspective and some science, two topics that will endear this book to elementary teachers everywhere. Buy it for yourself and for the elementary teachers in your life---they'll love you for it!
July 18, 2024
I am a huge Mo Willems fan, but I am not sure who this book is for? I get the idea behind what he was trying to do. However, once you get past the grain of sand and start into cells, atoms, molecules, and quarks I am not sure this is still a children's book. These are hard concepts for adults to grasp let alone start explaining them adequately to a young child.
August 30, 2024
This is a cool - small - book that puts little things into perspective by size, but more importantly by impact - “... a grain of sand is small, but without it there would be no beach.” It is a companion book to Are You Big?. Yes, little kids would not understand the elements as they are mentioned here, but the artwork and the abundance of correlations to small/big are very cool and fun.
September 10, 2024
I thought this was a clever book about size but the reading level and subject matter would indicate it was meant for a young audience but I'm not sure the comparisons would resonate (or be comprehended) by that young of an audience. There would need to be lots of explaining about hydrogen atoms, neutrons, quarks, etc.
September 22, 2024
This book engages the curious mind and compares items that are smaller than a child. Some of the examples used requires deeper explanation since most children would not understand and may leave them confused (i.e. hydrogen atoms, quarks, etc). I like how Willems uses big words but this story wouldn't necessarily appeal to the younger audience that it is intended for.
October 3, 2024
Companion to Are you big? Simple, clever illustrations introduce young readers to some of the smallest components on earth: cells, water molecules, hydrogen atom, quark. Concepts are depicted on the right side of the page and when you turn the page, that concept is seen exiting on the left. On one page, the famous Pigeon is the "o" in the word "someone".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2024
Willems shows readers how small objects can still have a major influence on life. He takes us to the quark level as he drills down to how small something can be. I like that he begins and ends with a child.
August 19, 2024
As the companion book to Are You Big?, are you small similarly plays with size and scientific concepts in an intriguing way. It wasn't as catchy as the first book, but like all Mo Willems titles, this one still caught my four-year-old's attention.
August 22, 2024
A fun look at the sizes of different things. I liked how everything was important in its own way, even though it might be small. Sometimes small things make the biggest difference. Are You Small? is yet another enjoyable Mo Willems book!
Mia’s Year of Books: Day 165
Mia’s Year of Books: Day 165
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September 3, 2024I definitely chuckled a few times. It could go over a few kids’ heads but it’s a fun way to get a sense of scale of things we both can see easily, say like a Hamster, and things not so easy to see, like a hydrogen atom.
October 6, 2024
Cute enough, but I prefer the other treatments of the theme that I've seen. I do like Willem's interpretation of a water molecule, though. Small is special, indeed. (Now he needs to do an 'Are you Big?' for the rest of the kids.)
October 13, 2024
This a thoughtful and meditative book about size and the universe, a person's impact among billions of life forms. The ending hits a slightly underdeveloped note for me, but I highly recommend for a bedtime story with your curious, science-sy little ones.
November 27, 2024
This is a great kids NON FICTION book. We need more quality kids non-fiction books! Parents, be ready, this has some big little concepts, but they aren't anything too big for little minds to be introduced to!
December 26, 2024
I enjoyed this one even more than Are You Big?, because I love how this one emphasizes that even small things can make a big impact. With both, the back matter with the examples of how big or small something is relative to the average size of a kid is just really fun to see.
Read
June 6, 2024Turn/Level: B/2
Size, Relativity, Microscopic Science
Size, Relativity, Microscopic Science
June 14, 2024
Might pair well in storytime with You are (not) Small by Anna Kang
June 17, 2024
I loved Are You Big but didn't connect with this one as much. Maybe I found more storytime potential with a spaced themed book?
June 24, 2024
A good book to use with young children when teaching comparisons, but some of the concepts like quarks might be too advanced for them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews