Big and Me
‘ . . . A sensitive and sustained allegory on mental illness . . .’This unique book tells the story of two machines, Big and Small, who work as a team. Small tells readers how, on some days, “Big gets a bit wobbly and I get a lot worried.” The story follows Small as he seeks help for Big and deals with his partner’s “illness.”A metaphor for a child living with an adult who has a mental illness, the book offers parents an opportunity to begin discussing mental illness with their children. For children in a similar situation, the range of emotions felt by Small throughout the book is highly relevant. My five-year-old was engaged with the book, which is vividly illustrated with paper sculpture. She quickly identified with Small, as she could see he was scared and vulnerable. She also expressed a dislike for Big, because he was scaring Small and behaving oddly. This presented me with a great opportunity to talk about why Big was behaving that way.Often, children’s books offer a simplistic view of human nature in which people are either virtuous or wicked. What makes this book different and valuable is that it provides insight into a world where behavior is affected by a range of factors, and no one can be easily classified. Teaching our children from a young age about mental illness is vital if we are to effectively tackle the stigma and stereotypes attached to it."Mental illness is the hardest thing for many people to understand and more so for children. This book is a wonderful concept for helping children understand how grown-ups or older children act when they suffer any type of mental illness. It also teaches adults how children perceive those actions; how they feel, how easily they misinterpret them and how afraid they become when what they see as normal transforms into something scary. This book should be used as a tool for and with discussion about unpredictable behaviour. "‘... We love it. Dealing with such an issue in such a sensitive way….’‘... I really loved Big and Me. I think it is an important book and really moving….’‘… it tells us how it would feel to have a friend with mental illness…’‘… your book made us understand how kids feel with parents that are depressed or have some sort of mental problem. Emma has a sister who can’t talk and she feels like its her fault but now she’s realised that its not because your book has explained that it’s know ones fault…’‘ . . . A book that will immediately be treasured by many children . . .’‘Very highly recommended for ages 3-8.’