Big Little: (A Playful Concept Book of Opposites for Babies and Toddlers)

Leslie Patricelli Board Books

by Leslie Patricelli

Whether you’re big or little, learning about opposites has never been more fun — or funny — than with this winning board book.

Ladies are big, but ladybugs are little. Amiably illustrated in a bright, graphic style, Leslie Patricelli’s spirited board book, Big Little, stars an obliging, bald, and very expressive toddler who acts out each pair of opposites with comically dramatic effect.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Spanish Literature, Storytime, Kids, Juvenile, Animals

24 pages, Board Book

First published September 15, 2003

About the author

Leslie Patricelli is the American writer and illustrator of the best selling line of toddler books, starring her inimitable Baby character, including Potty, Toot, Yummy Yucky, Big Little, and Hair. She has more than 30 books for children, including her preschool books, Higher! Higher! (a Boston Globe Book Honor Award winner), Be Quiet, Mike!, Faster! Faster! and The Patterson Puppies and the Midnight Monster Party; as well as a middle-grade novel, The Rizzlerunk Club: Best Buds Under Frogs, published in 2018. Leslie Patricelli grew up in Issaquah, Washington close to Pine Lake. Leslie Patricelli majored in Communications at the University of Washington and took classes at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. Leslie Patricelli created and animated Rover the Dog for Windows XP help installed on more than 60 million computers worldwide.

Reviews

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naked baby does big/little opposites in this edition. My littles enjoy naked baby and his shenanigans especially when he struts his tush around.

(Why are the parents always in long sleeves and pants and he's almost naked....?) I'd definitely call social services on these folks!!! Lol

[Archit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Distinguishing between the big and small things in the world, this board book is full of humor. I'm certain that any kid will enjoy these series. Cool illustrations.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

2/11/2023 - Fun book with great illustrations!

6/22/2024 - Read again with Madison.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one gets five stars as the first book my five year old read to me without memorizing it first. It also teaches the littles (12 months to, say, 3 years) the basics of size differentiation, which is important stuff. It comes as a board book which is preferred for kiddos who like to much on all the things. Recommend.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

More cute little baby illustrations and focusing on a single concept, big and little, make this book fun for little ones.

[Ame · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ladies are BIG."
"Ladybugs are little."

Yeah well, ya' wanna' fight about it?

[Sarah Alamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are so proud of you for reading "Big Little"! You learned something really special - that being small doesn't mean you're not important. A little ant is tiny compared to you, but you're small compared to a big elephant! Everyone matters, no matter their size. You can remember this when you meet new friends at school - some might be taller or shorter, but everyone is special and important. You're doing an amazing job reading, sweetie. Keep up the wonderful work!

[Sweetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great good about opposites. My son pays attention to the pages. Not sure if he can understand yet but I let him turn the pages as if he can read along.

Comes in a board book option which is a must. The book is not too long. Illustrations could be better but not bad. Thats the reason for the 4 stars

[Mary Peble · Rating 4 out of 5]

My one-year-old *loved* this book. I personally don't understand the draw, but then again I'm not the target audience. Patricelli's illustrations are simple and happy; they may be part of the attraction.

[Annburnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good board book comparing big things and little things. It is interesting to little ones.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to act out, colorful pictures, and adorable Leslie Patricelli style. What's not to love?

[Imelda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mi bebé de 10 meses le encanta este libro. Se ha convertido en uno de sus favoritos.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice book of opposites. A short read with cute illustrations. My baby sat through the whole book!

Good for ages 0-4.

[Haaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book. It had both English and Spanish. The kids will be able to tell the difference between grande and pequeno as well as learn names of specific objects or animals.

[Cherise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only white people are depicted.

[Alana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love that "ladies" was one of the "big" examples, but I understood in the context.

[Shandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

One star off for using 'ladies' to illustrate large - we tape that set of pages shut for use in storytimes. Otherwise, it's pretty adorable and a hit with the younger crowd.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t my favorite of her books. The comparison a weren’t my favorite and seemed forced.

[Dania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this a million and one times. It’s a big with the little ones (pun intended), but the “ladies are big, ladybugs are little” page is skipped by a lot of parents.

[Veronika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and colorful book of opposites.

*Read for story time 9/19/24

[21stpear · Rating 2 out of 5]

紙質書。小小小娃兒讀物（無聊，0故事性

[Fitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cocok buat todlerrr 2 tahun

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another comparison book.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series of books by Leslie Patricelli is one of my all time favorites. I own as many as I've been able to get my hands on. They are board books and are just as hilarious for a one year old as an 8 year old. Especially if the 8 year old is reading it to the 1-year old. I can't recommend this books enough! Love the illustrations, the presentation of concepts, the potential for "listener" participation, and all the giggles they produce!

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Leslie Patricelli's boardbooks! I used the Spanish version of Big Little for a growing up/big and small-themed program for Spanish story time. It was a fun book to use as a participation story because it encouraged the kids to call out whether something was big or little. Understanding opposites is an important concept, and using this story was a fun way to learn/practice big and little.

[Andrés · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect fit for Patricelli's style, and very educational! I'm delighted to have a bilingual read with adorable illustrations.

The Big / Little book (in English) redirects me to my original review of Grand / Pequeño. If I recall, a few of the pages may be different. In the English only version, I do not love the illustration or concept of "ladies are big," especially when there is a page that says "grownups are big." This page felt forced to match "ladybugs."

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and short/easy for youngin' attention spans. It's a little weird to say that ladies are big (to ladybugs are little), but in context I guess that's true. The more little things and big things at the end were DS's favorite because I'd sing "Camptown Races"if he pointed to the horse and "Wheels on the Bus" for bus.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

We took Natalie to my old hometown library and read this book because it was out on the table. I really like this author. This book wasn't as funny as some of her other books, but the illustrations were still cute and the contrasts clear. There was a list of additional big and little things at the end.

[Beckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the number one favorite for a while. After it was lost for a month B made us read it to him over and over. He likes to point at things on the last two pages.

Big Little died a rather disgusting death in Mexico. Somehow it ended up wet, smelly, and stuck together. That darn humidity.

[Christy Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the comparisons were redundant; like the 'ladies are big' and then later 'adults are big'

Aside from that, I couldn't dispute any evidence given in this big VS little dissertation.

Oh, and also, the drawing of a horse looks like a hyena.