Start Small, Think Big Books set readers on a journey of discovery, beginning with small miracles of life and connecting them to the big picture of our natural world. Warm, engaging, and relatable, each book features an “I-Spy” game and a large, fold-out illustration on the final pages. A perfect introduction to the science of the world around us.
Start Small, Think Big:
Little Brown Nut
By Mary Auld & Dawn Cooper
$15.99 • 28 pages • Paper Over Board • Ages 5–8 • 9" x 9" • ISBN: 978-1-63655-105-0
Little Brown Nut starts with a large fruit falling from the tallest tree in the Amazon rainforest. Inside is a little brown Brazil nut, surrounded by 20 others. It sits and waits for an agouti, a rodent with teeth so strong that it can free the nut from its hard casing. The story of the Brazil nut tree and the agouti is told clearly and carefully, with facts about germination, photosynthesis, seed dispersal. The narrative progresses in a way that builds understanding and the gorgeous illustrations bring the story and the science to life.
Start Small, Think Big:
Small Speckled Egg
By Mary Auld & Anna Terreros-Martin
$15.99 • 28 pages • Paper Over Board • Ages 5–8 • 9" x 9" • ISBN: 978-1-63655-107-4
Small Speckled Egg starts with an egg. The fluffy chick that emerges is an Arctic tern—one of the most remarkable creatures on the planet. The story of her life is told clearly and carefully in a way that builds understanding. The illustrations draw the reader into the tern’s world to watch her grow from
chick to juvenile, and marvel at her long migration from the top of the world to the bottom and back again. It’s a journey she does every year of her life. The story ends with her meeting her lifelong mate and the 50 adorable chicks they have in their lifetime.
Start Small, Think Big:
Tiny Floating Coral
By Mary Auld & La Scarlatte
$15.99 • 28 pages • Paper Over Board • Ages 5–8 • 9" x 9" • ISBN: 978-1-63655-123-4 • Available November 19, 2024
★ “The detailed illustrations and the dual layers of text make this a versatile and informative addition to collections.” — School lIbrary Journal, Starred Review
Tiny Floating Coral starts with a tiny coral planula floating through the ocean. Learn about the remarkable life of coral, how it feeds, starts a colony and becomes a part of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef The story’s narrative progresses in a way that builds understanding, and the delicate illustrations bring the story to life.
Start Small, Think Big:
Fluffy Flying Seed
By Mary Auld & Dawn Cooper
$15.99 • 28 pages • Paper Over Board • Ages 5–8 • 9" x 9" • ISBN: 978-1-63655-127-2 • Available February 25, 2025
Fluffy Flying Seed starts small, with a tiny dandelion seed being carried by the wind and landing safely in a meadow, the perfect place to grow. There are facts about germination, photosynthesis, seed dispersal, parts of a plant, and food chains. The narrative progresses in a way that builds understanding, and the gorgeous illustrations bring the story and the science to life. Thinking big, the book shows why this much-maligned wildflower is important to animals in the spring, and why it is so successful at surviving and spreading.
Start Small, Think Big:
Small Sparkling Raindrop
By Mary Auld & Lou Baker Smith
$15.99 • 28 pages • Paper Over Board • Ages 5–8 • 9" x 9" • ISBN: 978-1-63655-143-2 • Available March 4, 2025
Follow a small sparkling raindrop falling from a cloud and learn about the journey it takes and the contribution it makes to the ecosystems of our mountains, rivers, and seas. his is the story of the water cycle and other key elementary-grade science topics, including its impact on the land and how vital it is for all living things on Earth. Thinking big, the book shows why clean, healthy rivers are vital for people and wildlife, including the critically endangered Irawaddy dolphin threatened by overfishing and pollution.
What they’re saying about the Think Big, Start Small Books
“Welcoming and engaging… The real wow-factor appears in each book’s final spread, which folds out into a four-page display that includes a map, an illustrated recap of the plant or animal life cycle, an “I-Spy” feature that sends kids back through the book, and a “Think Big!” box of big-picture facts.
—Julia Smith, Booklist
“An introduction to Arctic terns, the animals with the longest migratory routes on Earth. Specific but easily absorbable facts combined with illustrations that reward closer (and repeated) looks make this book particularly appealing for younger readers, alone or in groups. More than enough verbal and visual appeal to fly off shelves.”
–Kirkus Reviews
Little Brown Nut / Click to enlarge
Small Speckled Egg / Click to enlarge
Tiny Floating Coral / Click to enlarge
-
Mary Auld
Mary is an award-winning writer of children’s information books, most notablyHow To Build an Orchestra with the London Symphony Orchestra. Mary Auld is a pen name for Rachel Cooke, former Editorial Director at Hachette and an honorary fellow of the English Association in recognition of her work in children’s non-fiction.
-
Dawn Cooper
Dawn is a talented British illustrator with a passion for nature. Her recent books include Insect Emporium and Ocean Emporium (Egmont) and Up Close (Wren & Rook). She lives in Bristol, England.
-
Anna Terreros-Martin
Anna is a young British author-illustrator and master’s graduate of the Cambridge School of Art. Coincidentally, she has two books about birds: Small, Speckled Egg and her picture book Can You See the Stars Tonight? In 2022, she published her debut picture book, The Friendly Mammoth. She lives near Nottingham.
-
La Scarlatte
La Scarlatte creates delicate hand-drawn botanical and animal designs. Her detailed compositions are used for advertising, package, products, textiles, and books. Tiny Floating Coral is her first children's book. She lives in the Netherlands with a curious toddler, an Italian partner, and a red-haired cat. Visit her at lascarlatte.com