How Big Is the World?

by Britta Teckentrup

Little Mole has an enormous How big is the world? He knows there’s only one way to find leave the molehill and see for himself. And so Little Mole circles the globe, from the frozen north to the vast desert, the tall cities to the huge mountains, the great jungles to the thick forests. Everywhere he goes he meets fascinating animals and discovers new lands. But in the end, as with all little ones, he realizes that no matter how big the world is, there’s no place like home.
Britta Teckentrup’s luminous art captures the beauty of diverse landscapes, the charm of a menagerie of beasts, and the appeal of one very special, childlike mole.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Adventure, The World, 1st Grade

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Britta Teckentrup was born in Germany and moved to England in 1988. She is the author and illustrator of many books for children. She now lives in Berlin with her husband and young son.

Reviews

[Samara · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute book, and such a good message!
Glad my son picked this one for story time today.

[Stephanie]

Original 3 line summary:
This book is about a mole’s journey to find out how big the world is. He asks many different animals and they all give him different answers until he meets a whale. He travels all over the world with the whale and discovers that the world has no end but it is only as big as you want it to be.

Original 3 line review:
All the different animals the mole asks his question to are shown in their niche, which is perfect for teaching children about habitats. The different illustrations of places in the world show children the differences in North, South, land and sea. The mole’s curiosity models for children to always question the world around them and then pursue their questions.


Connection to other books:

Quote from the book:

Methods for using this book as a mentor text for writing:

Methods for using this book to develop a social justice issue:

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this book illustrates that each of us really only know the world that we reside in and experience. Some people have bigger worlds than others, bigger circles than others. But the world is so big that none of us experience everything. I love how this book also points out all the beauty that can be found in the world if we have eyes to see the beauty.

** Talking Points. How big has your world been so far? What cities and states have you visited or lived in? Which have been your favorites and why? Some people people make a big impact on their world, some are more spectators in their world. Which would you like to be? What type of impact would you like to make in your circle of the world?

** Essential Oil Pairing Tip - when it comes to exploring your world it takes courage. So when reading this book I'd roll on some of doTERRA's Brave essential oil made especially for children.

[Kirsten - Children's Library Lady]

Little Mole visits the frozen north and the vast desert, the tall cities and big mountains, the great jungles and thick forests. He asks many different animals, "How big is the world?" He gets different answers, from the size of a spider's web to a huge, endless ocean. Little Mole discovers something new in every place, but in the end, he learns that no matter how big the world is, there's no place like home.

[Grace Gayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really sweet story of a mole realising that the world is as big as you want it to be! Each animal he meets only see the world to be as big as their own space... until the whale shows him that the world is huge and full of possibilities. A great metaphor for life!

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Mole!

Interesting things:
* The parent sends Little Mole out to determine the answer
* Each animal until the whale doesn't see beyond the own animal's boundaries.
* After seeing the world, Little Mole returns home.

[معصومه توکلی · Rating 3 out of 5]

عنوان ترجمه ی فارسی:
دنیا چقدر بزرگ است؟

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book on perspective. The world is as big as your ideas. Your world might only be as big as your yard, neighborhood or city.

[Kambrie Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do they keep calling the whale "enormous whale"? It got annoying, saying enormous that many times. Other than that, a good picture book.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A curious mole wants to know how big the world is. So he leaves his den and heads off to find out. He encounters a spider, a mouse and a horse. But it's not until he meets the seagull and a whale that he begins to realize just how big the world can be.

This is a great one for storytime. Can be used to help with teaching adjectives, too.

[picturethisbook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children are innately curious about everything — hence their never-ending questions for us. Some questions are easier than others to answer, though — for example, anything factual and *ahem* Googleable — while others are more open-ended and tricky. Lucky for us, then, that talented writers and illustrators exist to make our lives a little easier, by doing a lot of the hard thinking and research on our behalf, and then presenting the relevant information to kids in a neat, easy-to-understand yet old-fashioned way, i.e. in printed books.

This book in particular tries to answer one of the toughest questions anyone can think to ask. And the brilliant part is, instead of giving a cut-and-dried solution, the author/illustrator chooses to take us on an enlightening journey with the book's protagonist, a curious little mole, as he seeks out his own answers — well, with a little help from the animals he meets along the way: a spider, a mouse, a horse, a seagull and a whale.

We really enjoyed this amazing, well-illustrated, well-written and thought-provoking book that celebrates curiosity and the wonderfully diverse world in which we live. It also has an important and wise message about life and the limits we impose on ourselves.

Visit our website for more reviews on great children's books.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Especially for young children, the world is their school, their church, their neighborhood...and most likely, Walmart. Go along for the fun as Little Mole sets out to find how big the world really is. (Bravo to his father for encouraging this adventure!) All the animals Little Mole encounters know nothing of a world beyond their on milieu...until he meets the horse. The horse reports that he is certain that the world extends beyond his field. It is the seagull who takes Little Mole to the ocean, and then the adventure becomes HUGE when the whale takes over.

This is a wonderful way to show young children that our world is exotic and wonderful and holds the promise of exploration way beyond what they see in their day-to-day lives. Charming.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book: the drawings were good and it seems like a good book for encouraging children to ask questions. My one dislike is that the father seemingly encouraged Little Mole to run away. I think I would have liked it better if Papa had told Little Mole to visit with his friends (Spider, Mouse, Horse, Seagull, and Whale). But hopefully a parent or other responsible adult would read aloud this book and be able to explain safe methods for exploring his/her child's world.

[Portable · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for introducing the IB concept of perspective, as Little Mole goes on an adventure to find out just how big the world really is. But different animals will have different persepectives about what the world means to them. A great companion read with the marvelous They All Saw a Cat.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was read at preschooler story time as part of the world of tales theme for the summer. I liked how it tackled the hard job of explaining exactly how big the world is. Each animal the mole encounters has a different idea of how big the world is based on its experience. In that way, this book also makes a great story to teach about perspective.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a a little mole who sets out to discover how big the world really is. Everyone he meets has a different perspective of how big it really is; the world is as big as you imagine or want it to be. This is a very inspirational story that is good for a variety of ages. The images are large and detailed.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parents who are at the receiving end of a daily barrage of questions will enjoy this book, as will their curious children. A little mole asks, "how big is the world?" and sets off to find out. His question leads him further and further afield until he finally discovers how big the world really is (and the answer is one of my favorite children's book endings/sound bites).

[Amar Pai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good question, but one that this book fails to address in any interesting way. Instead, we get an insipid platitude. How big is the world? "As big as you want it to be." And that's one... to grow on.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this is a wonderful story.The illustrations were simple but yet colorful and gave much to help the storie's young listener relate well to the story. This story would be a good story time addition to use with vocabulary highlighted as the Early Literacy Skill.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gentle, simple book to answer a big question! The mole's world grows as he goes looking for his answer, until he knows the answer is more than what he was first looking for. I REALLY like this book! I love the fact that the dad doesn't answer his question, but sends mole to learn for himself.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little mole wonders, how big is the world? His father encourages him to go out and discover for himself. With the help of friends along the way, little mole receives a world class tour of our planet's vast and varied geography.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of this book is wonderful; the text is very good; and the illustrations are darling. I really, really, really liked this book, but I didn't quite love it. Setting a child out to explore the world on his own doesn't sound like a very good idea.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Papa encourages Little Mole to find out "how big is the world?" Large illustrations appeal to young children, while the text encourages older children to explore and contemplate their world.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Mole goes on a journey to see how big the world really is.

[Angel B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to teach students that they are only a small part of a big world.

[Wolffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little story that explains how big our world is in terms kids can understand. My boys liked the message and the art.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the artwork inside this book so much more than the cover art.

[MaryAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale that explores the question in an insightful, fanciful journey. That it ends philosophically in a way that made me laugh was a definite plus.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my very favorite picture books with a tender and meaningful message to explore the world around you each day.

[Smita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!