Big Kids
Illustrated by Reggie Brown
Little Brown Books for Young Readers, July 2025.
40 pages, ISBN: 978-0316509770
t’s the first day of school and everywhere our small hero looks there are big kids! Big kids are shouting, playing, and high-fiving each other. Big kids are crowding the halls and hanging out on the playground. It all feels a bit overwhelming. And since it’s Buddy Day, the big kids are pairing off with little kids. But maybe having a big buddy won’t be so bad—he shows him where to find his classroom and where to hang his coat. He even uses his big kid arms to reach the chocolate pudding! Maybe big kids aren’t so scary after all?
A vibrant and relatable picture book about first-day-of-school nerves that encourages young readers to celebrate new experiences and the big buddies they’re sure to make along the way.
Reviews
“It’s the lived-in vibrancy of the school and its inhabitants, the exaggerated difference in the kids’ sizes, and the shifting perspective that create the emotional resonance…. A winner for first day read alouds. Highly recommended.” ―School Library Journal
“A diminutively scaled narrator reflects on what it means to be a “big kid” in this straightforward account of overcoming first-day fears. Brown’s painterly digital renderings add visual variability with textures throughout scenes that abundantly amplify the size disparity between the small younger students and the oversize older kids.”
―Publishers Weekly
“On his first day of school, a child happily rides the school bus with his neighbors; upon arrival, however, he’s overwhelmed by the sight of so many big kids. He feels small among the older children, but his school uses a buddy system to welcome newcomers. Gathered in the gym, the youngest students soon meet their older buddies, who guide them through the day. A big kid waves at the little boy, and he bravely waves back. When they meet, he notices his buddy’s big grin. The older boy helps the younger one in the cafeteria and the library. Later, on the playground, the young boy sits on his buddy’s shoulders and slams a basketball through the hoop, saying, “Now I’m a big kid, too.” In the colorful digital illustrations, Brown occasionally exaggerates the kids’ sizes to emphasize the younger boy’s distress. First-day-of-school picture books traditionally begin with a young child’s fears and end with a good experience, but few conclude as joyfully as Going’s story of timidity overcome with the aid of a new friend’s efforts.” ―Booklist