Review by Booklist Review
The sky is high . . . and I am small. For a baby penguin, the great, busy world can be overwhelming, and this small, square, spacious book shows the little bird dwarfed by whirling action. The rhyming text has a simple rhythm: These things are big and long and deep, / and strong and high and far and steep. And Dodd's uncluttered, mixed-media images, featuring large shapes in snowy whites and grays, reinforce the little penguin's perspective. Toddlers will recognize that sense of being overwhelmed in the grown-up, giant universe, but they will also recognize the excitement of discovering what is out there a towering mountain; a vast, starry sky. The climax is perfect: on a final spread, the little penguin, curled into her mother's protective embrace, fills the page as she realizes, the biggest thing to you . . . is me! --Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In the manner of her previous small-format books for younger readers, Dodd (Meow Said the Cow) presents a child's-eye view of the world and the child's place in it. The speaker is an engagingly plump and downy young emperor penguin-"The world is fast... and I am small. The ocean is deep... and I am small"-who finishes by addressing the larger emperor penguin on whose feet it nestles: "I may be small, but I can see/ the biggest thing to you... is me!" While Dodd's artwork for older readers is often tongue-in-cheek, these spreads have a serious, almost stately quality. A striking underwater view shows the trails of bubbles left behind by diving penguins, the water's blue darkening to indicate chilly depths; a steep, foil-embossed slope is a mountain down which the penguin chick slides, snow flying off into a somber, slate-gray sky; and an adult penguin cuddles the chick, touching its beak as a crescent moon is reflected in an icy pool. It's a reminder that Dodd isn't all clever British cheek; she's a fine graphic artist as well. Up to age 3. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-A penguin chick ponders the big, fast, long, steep world around him and notes how small he is in comparison. But when he is with his mother, he knows he is safe because "the biggest thing to you.is me!" The simple text and easy-to-read block printing make this a good choice for beginning readers. Dodd uses a palette of black, white, and slate blue with touches of silver to evoke the freezing Antarctic habitat. The adult emperor penguins are elegant with a dab of orange-yellow around their necks. The contrasts between the penguin chick and the sleek adults gliding through bubble-filled water beautifully illustrate a young child's point of view. This pleasant book is a nice size and format for its target age, but starting and ending the story on the inside covers is a bad idea since the book jacket obscures the illustrations.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
It's a big, scary world out there, but love can keep you safe.A tiny penguin is overwhelmed by the vastness of the universe. The ocean is deep, the sky is high and the stars are endless. Steep mountains and strong winds in an endless winter also contribute to the feeling of being small and insignificant. But her parents are much bigger and warm and loving and make her feel like the biggest part of their lives. Dodd chooses a carefully designed spatial arrangement of the text and simple, visual language, repeating the refrain "and I am small" as the little one encounters all that largeness, creating empathy and understanding for the timid little penguin without being overly sweet or cloying. The full- and double-page illustrations set this work above similar tales of enduring parental love, perfectly matching the text as they depict the tiny and somewhat awkward baby penguin. Appropriately polar, winter hues of grays, whites, blacks, icy blues and shining textured silver are startlingly interrupted by the high, bright Antarctic sun. The adult penguins provide the only other bits of color, as their necks and beaks light the way to their nurturing warmth.A lovely, reassuring bedtime story with a simple message of parental affection that littlest listeners and readers will take to heart. (Picture book. 1-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
