Now I Am Big!

by Stephen Krensky, Sara Gillingham (Illustrator)

Overview

Celebrate growing just a little bit older with Now I Am Big!, a joyful board book in the Empowerment series!

I used to be short.
Now I am tall.
I used to be slow.
Now I play ball.

With relevant and charming specifics, author Stephen Krensky and award-winning artist Sara Gillingham celebrate the changes that come with growing just a bit older.

The Empowerment series addresses the small victories of growing up and starting to embrace the world on your own terms with encouraging text and retro-fresh illustrations. Celebrate the milestones of toddlerhood with the whole series.

The Empowerment series:
I Can Do It Myself!
Now I Am Big!
I Know a Lot!
I Am So Brave!
I Like to Share!
I Am Ready for School!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419704161
Publisher:	Abrams Appleseed
Publication date:	08/01/2012
Series:	Empowerment Series
Pages:	12
Sales rank:	475,242
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 8.82(h) x 0.34(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Stephen Krensky started writing stories for children while in college and has been happily doing it ever since. He has now written more than 130 fiction and nonfiction children’s books, including novels, picture books, easy readers, and biographies. Among his favorites are the five earlier books in the Empowerment series—Now I Am Big!, I Can Do It Myself!, I Know a Lot!, I Am So Brave!, and I Like to Share! Krensky and his wife, Joan, raised two sons in Lexington, Massachusetts, where they are still living happily ever after.


Sara Gillingham is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, art director, and designer who has helped publish many bestselling books. Gillingham has written and illustrated more than 25 titles for children, including How to Grow a Friend, Snuggle the Baby, and the Empowerment series. She lives in Vancouver with her family.

Editorial Reviews

Lovely, understated verse and artwork with a delightfully vintage feel are in perfect sync in this testament to a boy’s increasing capabilities. “I used to be short. Now I am tall./ I used to be slow/ Now I play ball.” Gillingham shows the dark-haired boy in a stylized stroller at left, reaching for an apple on a tree; on the right, the now older boy has no trouble grabbing that apple. It’s a quiet yet confident affirmation of the skills children master with each passing year. Simultaneously available: I Can Do It Myself! Ages 1–3. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

PreS—Both books celebrate the increased independence that comes with getting older. In Now I Am Big! a boy reminisces about his former abilities compared to his present deeds. One page shows a crawling baby as he pulls a toy on a string with the text: "I used to be slow." This is juxtaposed with the present-day soccer player who celebrates: "Now I play ball." Similarly, I Can Do It Myself features a smiling youngster as she revels in her self-sufficiency. She can dress and feed herself, among other joys of self-confidence such as riding a tricycle and reading a book. The artwork has a vintage feel set in primary colors. Fine additions to board book collections.—Laura Butler, Mount Laurel Library, NJ

School Library Journal

A young toddler reflects on his life and contrasts all things he did as a baby to what he can do now. Krensky's simple rhyming scheme provides clear comparisons: "I used to be short. / Now I am tall. // I used to be slow. / Now I play ball." Gillingham's cartoons in primary colors have the look and feel of retro newspaper prints and depict the child's past on the left and his big-kid self on the right. She places this rosy-cheeked protagonist in easy-to-recognize situations. The final spread shows the child as a baby stacking three blocks next to his present-day toddler self creating towering block structures. The caption to this scene is empowering: "I used to be little. / Now I am big!" Mom, when needed, is suitably at the periphery of most scenes. The companion title, I Can Do It Myself, features a young girl and her bird sidekick demonstrating a DIY attitude when putting on clothes or blowing her nose. The taller-than-normal format of these titles reinforces the big-kid energy of the text and art. Should give toddlers a satisfying dose of independence. (Board book. 2-4)

Kirkus Reviews