Am I Big Enough?: A Fun Little Book on Manners
Written by Julia Pinckney
Illustrated by Timothy Young
Schiffer Publishing   1/12/2016
978-0-7643-5053-5
32 pages     Ages 2—6

“Finn cautiously observes family doing all kinds of daily activities and wonders if he is big enough to do them, too. Join the young boy as he goes from cautious to confident and learns when and how to use good manners. Preschool-age children will delight in placing their hand on the clever handprint to see if they, like Finn, are big enough to do things like use their quiet voice at the library, share a cookie, and shake hands with grown-ups.” [back cover]

Review
Finn, the middle child, with one older and one younger sister, wonders when he will be big enough to do some of the things he sees his mom and dad doing each day. Finn sees his dad shake hands with another man and wonders,

“AM I BIG ENOUGH
to shake hands with a grown-up?”

The next spreads show the man Finn’s father just shook hands with shaking Finn’s hand. In big letters Finn exclaims,

“I AM BIG ENOUGH!”

Finn then invites readers to place their palm over the palm print Finn made in blue in the right-hand corner. Finn tells you,

“. . . see if YOU are big enough!”

Mostly using the two-spread concept, Finn wonders whether he is big enough to do many things he sees others doing. He hears his sister say please. Can Finn? Mom waits at the store for her turn to checkout. Can Finn wait his turn at school? Left with only one cookie and needing two, can Finn share the one cookie with his friend?

Am I Big Enough stars Finn, a toddler with blond hair and bright eyes. He takes his curiosity directly to you, the reader. Standing with his two sisters, Finn begins with an introduction.

“I am Finn. I have a big sister and a little sister.”

When Finn wonders if he is big enough to do something, you can see him thinking and considering the possibility. With each success, Finn excitedly says, “I am big enough.” I love the addition of Finn’s handprint in the spread’s corner. Directions fanning the top of the print give readers instructions,

“Place your hand here to see if YOU are big enough.”

Young children will love checking their handprint size against Finn’s; even more so if their hand covers or exceeds Finn’s print. Will this be enough to encourage a young child to say please, quietly wait in line, or share? With reminders or little nudges from mom and dad, yes, I think toddlers will try, just like Finn.

Timothy Young (Do Not Open the Box, I Hate Picture Books), takes on the task of making Finn believable. Young does a great job. Written on Finn’s face are his emotions, which change as he goes from wondering if he can do something to actually doing that behavior. He is cute and personable. Finn’s handprints change with each new print. Young missed an opportunity to do the same with the other children Finn runs into at school.

Am I Big Enough, with its straightforward text and exciting achievements, should encourage young toddlers to be like Finn, and hopefully those grown-ups around the toddler. With encouragement and repeated reading of Am I Big Enough, a young child’s manners just may improve. Finn is the perfect narrator. His encouragement and especially his invitation to check out their own hand size will resonate with young children.

Finn will encourages young children to imitate his actions, learning new manners and behavior in the process. The text is easy to read. I love the font changes when Finn realizes he is big enough to do whatever it was he was unsure he was big enough to accomplish. The change encourages readers to add excitement in their voice and young children will notice the change to the larger print and catch on to Finn’s happiness.

AM I BIG ENOUGH: A FUN LITTLE BOOK ON MANNERS. Text copyright © 2016 by Julia Pinckney. Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Timothy Young. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA.

Amazon—Book Depository—Indie Books—Schiffer Publishing

Find Am I Big Enough: A Fun Little Book on Manners on Goodreads HERE.

Julia Pinckney:   http://amibigenough.com/
Follow on Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/amibigenough/

Timothy Young:   http://www.creaturesandcharacters.com/
Follow on Twitter           @TimSYoung

Schiffer Publishing:  http://www.schifferbooks.com/
Follow on Twitter          @Schifferbooks

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Reprinted with permission from AM I BIG ENOUGH: A FUN LITTLE BOOK ON MANNERS © 2016 by Julia Pinckney, Schiffer Publishing, Illustrations © 2016 by Timothy Young.

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Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Full Disclosure: Am I Big Enough: A Fun Little Book on Manners by Julia Pinckney & Timothy Young, and received from Schiffer Publishing, is in exchange NOT for a positive review, but for an HONEST review. The opinions expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Am I Big Enough: A Fun Little Book on Manners
Written by Julia Pinckney
Illustrated by Timothy Young
Schiffer Publishing 1/12/2016
9780764350535