A review of How Big Is Big? in the Sunday Books from the Sunday Tasmanian.
Sunday Tasmanian - Sunday Books review of How Big Is Big?
How Big Is Big? written and illustrated by Neil Smith, LabKonstrukt softcover, 22pp, $15 Neil Smith, who now lives in Sydney but got his Bachelor of Fine Art at UTas, has written this book with aim of helping children aged between 4 and 14 to understand size. It can be a pretty difficult concept to grasp, especially when it comes to relativity, so Smith decided to use elephants to help him explain things. He figures that something being 100km long is a very abstract kind of concept to children, so explaining how many elephants make up 100km gives kids a far better grasp of size. Because most kids can relate to the size of an elephant, an abstract concept immediately becomes more concrete. In this way, Smith uses his elephant characters, Orin, Olivia and Oscar, to explore the size of the world around them, from trees to volcanoes to the depths of the ocean, clouds and even Earth itself. This a charming book that helps children explore and wonder and understand. Some of the concepts are still out of reach of most four-year-olds, and probably most 14-year-olds have well and truly moved on from the use of picture book characters, but young children somewhere between those ages will very much enjoy the way How Big is Big teaches them about the world they live in. The illustrations and layout are interesting and appealing, very much marking it as the work of an artist. Available at Sandy Bay Bookshop and Hobart Bookshop, and also Stories in Launceston, and on the web at www.howbigisbig.com.au. Dani Colvin SUNDAY books, Sunday Tasmanian.
How Big Is Big? written and illustrated by Neil Smith, LabKonstrukt softcover, 22pp, $15
Neil Smith, who now lives in Sydney but got his Bachelor of Fine Art at UTas, has written this book with aim of helping children aged between 4 and 14 to understand size. It can be a pretty difficult concept to grasp, especially when it comes to relativity, so Smith decided to use elephants to help him explain things. He figures that something being 100km long is a very abstract kind of concept to children, so explaining how many elephants make up 100km gives kids a far better grasp of size. Because most kids can relate to the size of an elephant, an abstract concept immediately becomes more concrete. In this way, Smith uses his elephant characters, Orin, Olivia and Oscar, to explore the size of the world around them, from trees to volcanoes to the depths of the ocean, clouds and even Earth itself. This a charming book that helps children explore and wonder and understand. Some of the concepts are still out of reach of most four-year-olds, and probably most 14-year-olds have well and truly moved on from the use of picture book characters, but young children somewhere between those ages will very much enjoy the way How Big is Big teaches them about the world they live in. The illustrations and layout are interesting and appealing, very much marking it as the work of an artist. Available at Sandy Bay Bookshop and Hobart Bookshop, and also Stories in Launceston, and on the web at www.howbigisbig.com.au.
Dani Colvin SUNDAY books, Sunday Tasmanian.
Here is the book review from The Examiner newspaper.
Large-scale way to tackle size concepts
Large-scale way to tackle size concepts HOW BIG IS BIG? By Neil Smith (LabKonstrukt, $15. Available at Stories Bookshop, Launceston and The Hobart Bookshop) AS the title suggests, former Tasmanian author and illustrator Neil Smith has tackled a topic that kids typically find hard to grasp. Size. Three little, or big – depending on your perspective-elephants named Oscar, Olivia and Orin take a look at the truth that size is relative. Using their own body lengths, they make size easier to compute. “Space starts at 100 kilometers above the earth’s surface, which is equal to 31,250 elephants standing on each other’s shoulders,” one elephant tells another. This 24-page, full colour children’s book is a great educational tool for parents and teachers alike. Aimed at children aged four to 14, it demonstrates a potentially complex topic in the colourful simplicity that engages you ones. CLARE VAN RYN Extra book, THE EXAMINER Sunday
HOW BIG IS BIG? By Neil Smith (LabKonstrukt, $15. Available at Stories Bookshop, Launceston and The Hobart Bookshop) AS the title suggests, former Tasmanian author and illustrator Neil Smith has tackled a topic that kids typically find hard to grasp. Size. Three little, or big – depending on your perspective-elephants named Oscar, Olivia and Orin take a look at the truth that size is relative. Using their own body lengths, they make size easier to compute. “Space starts at 100 kilometers above the earth’s surface, which is equal to 31,250 elephants standing on each other’s shoulders,” one elephant tells another. This 24-page, full colour children’s book is a great educational tool for parents and teachers alike. Aimed at children aged four to 14, it demonstrates a potentially complex topic in the colourful simplicity that engages you ones. CLARE VAN RYN Extra book, THE EXAMINER Sunday
I have received a little bit of press coverage for my book How Big is BIG? Below is the article from the Kingborough Chronicle
How many elephants is that?
How many elephants is that? Kids ask the toughest questions. Local author Neil Smith answers many of them, in terms kids themselves can understand. For instance: do you know how big a volcano is? In elephants as well as metric? First time author Neil Smith delves into these and other fascinating topics in How Big is Big?, his new children’s book which he has designedto appeal across a wide age group, from four to fourteen. Written and illustrated by Neil, How Big is Big? uses a fun and factual question and answer format to cover some seriously big facts about relative size – us, our planet, and beyond. Measurements are given in not only metric but also elephants! A Tasmanian Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate with a keen interest in all things scientific, Neil has worked in a variety of creative design areas for almost two decades. As a father of two primary school age children, Neil finds he is well tuned into the questioning world of kids and has tailored his book to provide some interesting (and sometimes quirky) answers. The book takes children on a journey of discovery through the eyes of three young friends (who just happen to be elephants). “There are lots of facts along the way that kids can learn, Neil says. It’s all about keeping it simple.” WHY ELEPHANTS? “Explaining big concepts, like the size of outer space, oceans or volcanoes can be hard to picture,” he said. “But children know elephants are big, and so using them as an ‘added’ measurement of size is a fun and easy way to visualise and relate to the facts. It can help to move from an often large abstract idea to something concrete and more mentally manageable.” Neil has also designed a fantastic interactive How BIG is BIG? website for children (as well as parents and teachers) to enjoy. Packed with extra information and links to other relevant sites, there are interesting worksheets and colouring-in downloads too. For further information Neil can be contacted at e: neil@labkonstrukt.com m: 0414599376 and visit the website: www.howbigisbig.com.au
How many elephants is that? Kids ask the toughest questions. Local author Neil Smith answers many of them, in terms kids themselves can understand.
For instance: do you know how big a volcano is? In elephants as well as metric?
First time author Neil Smith delves into these and other fascinating topics in How Big is Big?, his new children’s book which he has designedto appeal across a wide age group, from four to fourteen.
Written and illustrated by Neil, How Big is Big? uses a fun and factual question and answer format to cover some seriously big facts about relative size – us, our planet, and beyond. Measurements are given in not only metric but also elephants!
A Tasmanian Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate with a keen interest in all things scientific, Neil has worked in a variety of creative design areas for almost two decades. As a father of two primary school age children, Neil finds he is well tuned into the questioning world of kids and has tailored his book to provide some interesting (and sometimes quirky) answers.
The book takes children on a journey of discovery through the eyes of three young friends (who just happen to be elephants). “There are lots of facts along the way that kids can learn, Neil says. It’s all about keeping it simple.”
WHY ELEPHANTS?
“Explaining big concepts, like the size of outer space, oceans or volcanoes can be hard to picture,” he said. “But children know elephants are big, and so using them as an ‘added’ measurement of size is a fun and easy way to visualise and relate to the facts. It can help to move from an often large abstract idea to something concrete and more mentally manageable.”
Neil has also designed a fantastic interactive How BIG is BIG? website for children (as well as parents and teachers) to enjoy. Packed with extra information and links to other relevant sites, there are interesting worksheets and colouring-in downloads too.
For further information Neil can be contacted at e: neil@labkonstrukt.com m: 0414599376 and visit the website: www.howbigisbig.com.au
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