Author's Note

As children, we like big things.
I am impressed by big things and I hope for big things.
I grew up like that, but one day the world says something different.
I don't like big ones.
Big ones are not desirable.


I didn't dance when I was younger, but I was involved in the swings.
I was playing on the baby swing with some older kids, but I couldn't get off.
I was the only one who got stuck like that.
Because of my size difference with my peers, I was treated like an adult.
Come on, be a little more mature.
I was just a kid, you know.
That day I learned that my body was not in good shape.
That it doesn't fit.
Adults didn't treat me like a child who could carelessly make mistakes.


My childhood experiences were far less blatant than this child's.
But what I heard and what I thought were no different from this child's.
A child sitting on the crosshairs of the prejudices of being an 'adult' and 'having to be thin'.
This child is subjected to biased criticism, which is not only harmful at the time of receiving it, but also has a lifelong negative impact.
Yet, the child loves himself enough to return unkind and unhelpful words.
I hope this child will become a guide so that many people can watch and follow along on that journey.
Especially people like us who are big and dark-skinned.

In color psychology, pink is associated with soft love, affection, and caring.
Pink flowers are a symbol of purity, joy, playfulness and happiness.
The background color of this book is meant to tell the story that girls deserve to enjoy these things.
A child's body is not a problem that needs to be fixed.
My body wasn't the problem that day at the playground.
What we need to fix are the prejudices we harbor.
I want to hug that child.
Part of the child is me, and perhaps part of it is you.
And I want to tell you.
You deserve all the joy and care in the world, no matter what happens.


-Bashti Harrison

“You are too big!”
Words that stab, confine, and strangle us

There is a child with a big smile, a big heart, and very big dreams.
“He will grow up to be a great man,” the adults say.
That sounded good.
A child learns, laughs, dreams, and grows and grows again.
That was good too.
Until it gets worse, that is.


“You’re all grown up!” “You’re a whale!” “You look like a cow!” “You’re too big to be a flower girl!” “Big kids don’t cry!” “Have you ever tried to be smaller?” The stinging words people say without thinking stick to a child and don’t leave.


The child doesn't know who he is and doesn't seem to fit in anywhere.
It seems like I stand out too much, everyone is looking at me, gossiping, and pretending not to see me.
People's gaze and words pierce, confine, and suffocate the child, making it impossible for him to move.
Can the child escape the mold created by these harsh gazes and words?

“I am big and beautiful!”
A dazzling journey to self-affirmation!

I Am Big and Beautiful is the first book written and illustrated by Vesti Harrison, the illustrator of the New York Times bestseller Sulwe.
Born to an African-American father and an Indian-American mother, Vashti won the 2024 Caldecott Medal and the Coretta Scott King Honor for this picture book, which explores the "adultification bias" she experienced as a child.


Adult bias is a form of racial bias that views larger children of color as more mature than their actual age.
However, it is difficult to simply dismiss it as prejudice, as it is aimed at children.
It's even violent in that it takes away the opportunity for children to learn about themselves and the world through mistakes and failures, and that age causes children to deny themselves.


Vashti vividly illustrates the violence in several wordless drawings.
The picture book's layout becomes a frame that confines a child struggling with loneliness, pain, and despair.
The child, exhausted from struggling to break out of that frame, bursts into tears, pouring out the bad words that have been tormenting him.
Then, the beautiful words that once made the child laugh, dream, and grow, which were covered with bad words, also begin to flow out.
The child takes those beautiful words back into his heart and prepares to go out of the box.
Vashti shows the appearance of such a child on the front page.
The sight of a child preparing to fly with his arms wide open like a bird, as if the picture book's page is too narrow, is quite beautiful.


The original title of this picture book is 'BIG', a word that can be read both positively and negatively.
However, the Korean version used the somewhat declarative phrase "I am big and beautiful" as its title.
I hope that children of all physical conditions can feel and say that they are 'beautiful'.
I hope this book will encourage both children and adults to think about the many prejudices that surround us.


Recommended reviews

"Another classic that should be on every child's bookshelf! A book that helps children grow and see their own beauty." - [Kirkus Reviews]

"The best picture book of the year, simple enough for even the youngest children to understand and appreciate, yet containing an important message for adults as well!" - [Book Page]

“A book that reminds us that we all deserve love and respect, no matter our size.” - [Hon Book]

“It gently conveys the self-affirming belief that children are children, no matter what body they are in, and that it’s okay to take up space.” - [Publisher’s Weekly]

“A book of remarkable power, beauty, and elegance, it resonates both emotionally and socially.” - [Booklist]

“This is a book that can have a tremendous emotional impact.
“It’s a book that inspires and resonates deeply with people of all ages, so it would be great to read it together and discuss body image and self-affirmation.” - [School Library]

Curriculum linkage
Korean 1-2-1 Tell me how you feel
Korean 1-2-8 Feel and Express
Korean 2-1-5 Guessing the Mind
Korean 2-1-6 Expressing your thoughts
Korean 2-1-7 Speak with all your heart
Korean 2-2-2 Respect each other
Korean 2-2-4 Expressing Your Heart