July 8, 2021

NOT LITTLE

Not Little by Maya Myers and Hyewon Yum shows readers that bravery and courage come in all shapes and sizes.


The aptly named Dot is the smallest person she knows, both in her family and at school, and she's tired of being underestimated. Her family says she's too little to order off the grown-up menu, and even though she has a big appetite for knowledge her librarian always asks if she's too little to check out such hard books. When Sam, a new kid who also happens to be small, starts school and finds himself at the mercy of a bully, Dot finally finds her voice and stands tall to defend them both.


Yum's colored pencil illustrations are sweet and mostly warm, full of reds, oranges, and yellows. Much like their general demeanors, Sam's blue clothing and glasses are a cool foil for Dot's fiery orange and red attire. The pivotal moment when Dot stands up to the bully shows her by herself on the recto page surrounded by a hallow of many colors, as though seeing Sam get bullied for the same reason she's bullied unlocks something within her and sparks bravery and self-acceptance.


Not Little published from Neal Porter Books earlier this week, and you can read an interview I did earlier this year with the illustrator Hyewon here!


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