A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 365!!!!!!!!!!

Picture Book: Big and Small, Room for All

Author: Jo Ellen Bogart

Illustrator: Gillian Newland

Summary: The first double page spread of this book has a little girl in a tree. The words read, “Big and Small, Big and Small.” Then a visual jump is made to the vast universe. “Room for all, Big and small.” With each page, a tighter view occurs. First the big sky (universe) and small sun, then the big sun and small Earth, and so on until you read, “What is smaller than a flea? A world of things too small to see.”  

Hanna’s Comments: This book captures my values in a nutshell. I believe every element of this universe is a beloved creation of our loving God. Also, here the mystery of the Divine is captured in the big sky and even in the tiniest creatures. My church’s vision statement is “An Open Place for All to Worship, Grow, and Serve.” This big statement is an invitation to anyone who happens to walk in our doors, no matter how small they are feeling. We are a big church, with a big steeple, and big stained-glass windows. But we know that small things matter, a warm greeting for a visitor, a phone call when someone is missed, or a touch when a beloved friend is hurting. I love my church because our big hearts for our much bigger God are expressed in the small ways we are the hands and feet of Christ to others on a small corner of this world in downtown Birmingham, AL, USA, Earth….

I have now demonstrated for you 365 times that big ideas can be found in even small picture books. The two extremes represented in this picture book ground my faith in a way that is comforting and has kept me writing these blog posts for you for 365 consecutive days, a big goal that I have managed, with God’s help, to accomplish, one small step (day) at a time. Praise God!

Original Publisher & Date of Publication: Tundra Books, 2009

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up 

# of Pages: 32

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: None at present

PBT Category: Post 2K

PBT Topics this Book connects with: abundance/bounty, adoration, animals, attentiveness/observation/seeing, awe, babies/children, beauty, belonging, blessings, creation, diversity, Earth/world, the environment/nature, God’s care/providence, heaven/sky, life, moon/space/stars/sun, mystery, reverence, variety, wonder

Scripture Connections: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers… who are we that you are mindful of us? (Psalm 8:3-4)

Idea(s) for Application: Read this book to a group of children, youth, or adults who are wanting to consider both the enormity and detail of God’s creation and the way in which God is in the big picture and the details.