size is relative, so is speed - and more
/BIG
by Edward Gibbs - Templar Publishing, 2013
ages newborn to 8 years / s.t.e.m.
Ivy (who will turn 2 in a few months) spent the day with me today and we read this book at stop lights – every time we came to a stop we read a page or two.
The only problem was, the distances between stop lights were a bit longer than Ivy’s patience.
BIG is a great book for figuring out relativity.
Using relative terms - such as big, bigger, biggest – is part of a content descriptor for the Australian National Curriculum for the foundation (or prep) year. (ACMMG006.)
It’s one of those things that's usually learned in the process of everyday life, but is key to understanding concepts of measurement and geometry. And if it doesn’t quite gel in young minds, it makes further maths that much trickier.
BIG is great for alliteration.
There’s a weighty warthog, a beefy buffalo and a hefty hippo - the alliteration runs right through the book and makes for catchy reading.
BIG is great for anticipation and guessing games (at least for the first few reads).
For example, the 'fast' page reads: “fast … hurrying hare …faster … outstretched ostrich…”. Then there’s a flap to unfold, which gives time to guess what might be “fastest”. (It’s a chasing cheetah.)
And the very last page has a silhouette of each animal mentioned in the book.
It asks, “Can you remember who is who?” That’s fun for slightly older kids and also really good for shape recognition which is important for early literacy.
All of that aside, it’s just a totally enjoyable way to spend a few minutes with a young child – on the couch or in the car!
The words and concepts are terrific and the pictures are so appealing that when Ivy reads it she stops again and again to study the pages and say, “Oh Cute!” I absolutely agree.
Also ... this book about big and small - funny.
You can buy BIG via these direct links: Amazon - Book Depository - Booktopia
