Since we all begin life utterly helpless and dependent, it's no small task for children to grow into their full capabilities. Along the way, they must not only gain skills, confidence, and know-how, but also learn whose advice to follow, whose to modify, and whose to reject.
In this story, a boy named Ah-Fu is "so small he often got lost, especially in his own imagination." When his grandfather tells him he must bring the ox home from the field, Ah-Fu isn't so sure he's ready. His grandfather tells him he's old enough now but that he's still small, and so he should not ride the ox.
Ah-Fu repeats this bit of advice over and over to himself as he heads for the field. During this approach, a flock of swallows and a frog impart still more advice. But a face-to-face encounter with the ox is enough to send the boy tumbling away down a nearby hill, crying with dismay that he's just not big enough.
How he overcomes this low self-confidence, with help from the ox, forms the heart of this endearing story for readers ages four to eight. In a series of events, the boy's inherent kindness, coupled with the ox's own needs, carries them both home.
This would be a charming tale even without pictures, but the illustrations — oh my! They are Caldecott-Medal worthy. Author and illustrator Regina Linke is a Taiwanese American artist specializing in contemporary Chinese gongbi painting, using both traditional ink and wash techniques and digital painting. You may find yourself sneaking time to gaze at her illustrations apart from the times you're enjoying reading Big Enough to your favorite child.
