Big and Small, Room for All

A captivating look at how a child, fits into the great, big universe around us.

"Big sky, big sky, what is bigger than the sky?"

In this clever concept book for young readers, award-winning author Jo Ellen Bogart explores the size of animate and inanimate objects and their place in the universe. She introduces children to the concept of "we" -- that humans are a big part of the world, but a small part of existence.

In the vastness of the universe, with galaxies swirling through space, the book begins with simple words printed on the darkness. Moving closer to our world, we see the solar system, our sun at the center. Closer still, we see the huge ball of fire, which is the sun, and the third planet out from it -- our blue Earth. From Earth looming huge on the page, young readers view smaller and smaller objects, from mountain to tree to man to child to kitten to mouse to flea to microscopic beings, amazing in their complexity.

Accompanied by artist Gillian Newland's lavish watercolor paintings, Big and Small, Room for All places the immensity and wonder of space in perspective so young readers comprehend they are part of creation, but a small part of all that exists.

Jo Ellen Bogart is the author of many best-selling children’s books, including Jeremiah Learns to Read, Daniel’s Dog, and Gifts. She has degrees in elementary education and psychology from the University of Texas, and she now writes full time. Jo Ellen has won the Ruth Schwartz Award and has been shortlisted for the Mr. Christie’s Book Award. Her first book for Tundra was a biography of Maud Lewis called Capturing Joy: The Story of Maud Lewis. Born in Houston, Texas, she now lives in a pet-filled home in Guelph, Ontario.

Gillian Newland is an artist living and working in Toronto, Ontario. She has a diploma in illustration from Sheridan College. This is her first children’s book. When she is not working, Gillian likes to travel. She tends to be the reclusive sort, but you can sometimes find her sketching on the subway.