Review by Booklist Review
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.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A diminutively scaled narrator reflects on what it means to be a "big kid" in this straightforward account of overcoming first-day fears. On an opening spread, the protagonist expresses their impressions of older youths: "When the big kids stand outside, they make looooong shadows. Those shadows stretch until I think they might reach out and get me." And on "Buddy Day," the nervous child shirks from the seemingly enormous figures until reluctantly greeting a persistent--and friendly--buddy. 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. But while the visuals seem to justify the child's overwhelm, Going's text reveals a reassuring story about the many ways an older pal can be a source of assistance. The protagonists are depicted with brown skin; background characters are presented with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 4--8. (July)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Everything about school seems terrifying, but nothing's as scary as the big kids. The big kids are loud and, well, big. They play "big-kid games" and smile "big-kid grins." Seen through the young protagonist's impressed and overwhelmed eyes, these kids are larger than life. Making creative use of typography, the text captures the kinds of details that children home in on, like the way the older students' "big feet make big noises, like bass drums beating in a big-kid band." And when they "stand outside, they make l o o o o o n g shadows." The new students are each assigned a buddy, a helpful older student who shows them the ropes. Though initially frightened, the protagonist soon realizes that this big kid isn't scary. He shepherds the narrator to the right classroom, the cafeteria (where his "great big arms stretch so high they reach all the way up to the chocolate pudding"), and the library. Best of all, he helps the protagonist sink a basket on the playground. The digital illustrations are the stars of the show, using exaggerated perspective and proportions to depict the big kids as literal giants who dwarf the protagonist. By day's end, though, both youngsters are normal size, and readers will internalize an important message: These big kids clearly have big hearts. The narrator and the buddy are Black; the supporting cast is diverse. Just the right size for easing school anxieties.(Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
