Little Big Nate

August 15, 2020
Little Big Nate imagines all of the fun he'd have if only he didn't have to take a nap. Peirce's Big Nate appears as his younger, preschooler self in this board book. Like many kids that age, "Nate hates naps." To subtly rhyming text, he imagines himself "eat[ing] cookies all day," saving the day as a superhero, and "walk[ing] on the moon!" Adult readers won't be surprised by how this one ends or by the implication that Nate's fantasies might really be his dreams. Any young listener will certainly relate to Nate's distaste for the interruption of afternoon fun, but it's hard to say that they'll eventually be convinced that napping is a blast by the book's end. Peirce's illustrations of Nate's daydreams are absolutely charming, drawn to look as if colored by a child's hand with the softness of crayon. At first, the imaginings appear as thought bubbles, but then they turn into full-page renderings, a nice way to immerse readers in Nate's mind and dreams. Nate is White and the sole person on almost every page except the first, which includes three classmates, one White and the other two children of color. The pacing and brevity of text per page keep the book light and moving, friendly to the attention spans of little readers. Likely to grow little readers into future Big Nate fans. (Board book. 1-3)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.