The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Solotareff, Grégoire

You Big and Me Small

32 pp. | Firefly | September, 2017 | Trade ISBN 978-0-228-10000-3 $18.95

(3) K-3 Translated by Claudine Mersereau. A kindhearted lion king takes in a homeless little elephant. When the elephant grows big, the king becomes insecure: "You need to leave because I no longer feel like the king." Years later, the elephant spots the now-deposed king sleeping on the sidewalk and returns the lion's original kindness. This psychologically attuned story (first published in France) features painterly, feelings-first illustrations in crown-jewel colors.

Reviewer: Nell Beram