Not Little - by Maya Myers (Paperback)

About the Book

Dot proves she is not little by standing up to a school bully.

Book Synopsis

Just because you're small doesn't mean you can't have a big heart. When the diminutive Dot stands up to a bully on behalf of an even smaller friend, she proves how big she can truly be.

Dot is the smallest person in her family and at school; even her name is small! People often mistake her for being younger than she is, but not when she tells them the square root of sixty-four is eight, nor when she orders from the grown-up menu at restaurants or checks out the hard books at the library. She may be small, but she's not little.

When a new boy named Sam joins Dot's class, she wonders if he's even smaller than she is. When she sees him getting bullied by a mean kid twice his size, she knows she has to do the big thing and stand up for him.

Maya Myers's debut picture book has a pitch-perfect voice that captures the inimitable Dot in all her fierceness, and Hyewon Yum's delightful pastel-hued artwork is its perfect complement.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
An ALSC Notable Children's Book

Review Quotes

"Lively and understanding text. . . . In Hyewon Yum's colorful and expressive illustrations, we see why Dot says she's small but not little: She's brimming with vigor and personality."--The Wall Street Journal

★ "Myers clearly channels her elementary school teaching experience in creating Dot and Sam's recognizable exchanges about unfamiliar classrooms and playgrounds, tiptoeing through social dynamics and navigating new relationships. Yum's enchanting color-pencil illustrations elevate Myers's text with ingenious visual enhancements."--Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

"The brave--and bighearted--Dot serves as an easy-to-follow model for self-confidence and up-standing."--The Horn Book

"Yum's energetic art reflects the protagonist it portrays. 'Though she be but little, she be fierce, ' indeed."--School Library Journal

"A small girl makes a big difference. . . . Sure to be a big hit." --Kirkus Reviews

"Myers describes Dot's intervention in a second-by-second account, taking careful note of the emotions and sensations that she experiences ('I feel my heart beating very hard'), clearly conveying how it feels to be scared and intervene anyway. Yum (Grandpa Across the Ocean) portrays Dot and her world with simplicity and sensitivity in colored pencil textures and hues; a double portrait of the moment when Sam lets Dot know what her help means to him is a treat." --Publishers Weekly

"With a pitch-perfect voice and beautiful illustrations, NOT LITTLE takes us on a wonderful journey through a day in the life of small, but not so little Dot, who really has it all - confidence, bravery, empathy, and an endearingly indomitable spirit. Love this book!"--Laura Vaccaro Seeger, author/illustrator of Caldecott Honor Books Green and First the Egg

"Wait until you meet Dot! Her attitude is spot-on. She's the friend we all wish we had, and Not Little is a book that's NOT to be missed!"--Beth Ferry, New York Times best-selling author of Stick and Stone

"Maya Myers so perfectly and purely captures the voice of a small (not little!) girl with a big heart and a bigger personality. I was rooting for Dot from page one. I think Not Little is going to be huge!"--Chris Van Dusen, New York Times best-selling author/illustrator of If I Built a School

"A little gem of a story that sparkles with a BIG message. We all need a big DOT in our lives!"--LeUyen Pham, Caldecott honor­-winning author/illustrator of Bear Comes Along

About the Author

Maya Myers is a picture book author as well as a freelance book editor and a former elementary school teacher. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, author/illustrator Matt Myers, and three daughters.

Hyewon Yum is the author and illustrator of several acclaimed books for children, including This Is Our House, The Twins' Blanket, There Are No Scary Wolves, and Last Night. Her book Mom, It's My First Day of Kindergarten! received the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.