As we look around we notice things that are big and things that are small. Some shaped like a circle, some like a square and some with no distinguishable shape at all. In Small World author Ishta Mercurio and illustrator Jen Corace take us through life and the noticings of things as they change as we grow.

Nanda is a little girl born into the world of her family. As she grows, her world grows as well, she notices things she never noticed before. She shares these noticings with the reader so they can experience the thrill of observing the world around them.

This lyrical and moving story flows effortlessly from page to page and all of Nanda’s life stages are punctuated with the line “But as she grew, the world grew, too.” connecting her journey from little baby wrapped in her mother’s arms to astronaut exploring the depths of outer space. Ishta Mercurio gives the reader license to dream, to notice all of life, big and small, and to connect life’s happenings to the beauty all around. Her lyrical descriptions create absolute pictures in the reader’s mind, they don’t even need the illustrations. However, the illustrations add beauty and curiosity to the words. Jen Corace has created gorgeous two page spreads filled with all of Nanda’s observations and thoughts.

Small World is a book that will be equally loved by your newest little readers and your readers who have been accessing print text for a long time now. I would challenge teachers of older children to share this book with their children and see how they can extend the learning and create their own observations of the world around them.