Vashti Harrison
Author of Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History (Little Leaders #1)
Series
Works by Vashti Harrison
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1988
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of Virginia (BA|double major in Media Studies and Studio Art with concentrations in Film and Cinematography|2010)
CalArts (MFA|Film and Video|2014) - Occupations
- children's book author
children's book illustrator
filmmaker - Awards and honors
- Aunspaugh 5th Year Fellowship in the McIntire Department of Art (2010)
- Agent
- Carrie Hannigan (HG Literary, publishing)
Mary Pender (UTA, film and television) - Short biography
- Vashti Harrison (born 1988) is an American writer, illustrator and filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York. Her book, Big, was awarded the 2024 Randolph Caldecott Medal. She was born in Virginia and her films and other artworks are rooted in Caribbean heritage and folklore.
Vashti received her BA from the University of Virginia and her MFA in Film and Video from Calarts. Her Experimental films and videos focus on her Caribbean Heritage and folklore. They have shown around the world at film festivals and venues including the New York Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival. [website & Wikipedia] - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Onley, Virginia, USA
- Places of residence
- Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
Ayoung Black girl who is told she is too big learns which labels to keep.
When she was a baby, being a “big girl” was good. But at a certain point, getting bigger becomes tinged with negativity. Adults are frustrated with the girl because of her size. Other children tease her. On the playground and in ballet, where she used to feel joyous and free, the girl is humiliated. On wordless spreads, all alone, the girl fills the tightly constricted pages, as if trapped by their borders. She lets show more her feelings out in tears that form a puddle of words—the criticisms of others as well as more positive ones: imaginative, creative, compassionate. Finally, she is able to see clearly, and she decides “to make more space for herself” by pushing the boundaries of the page in a powerful fold-out spread. After that, she knows how to separate the words that do and don’t belong to her and what to do with them. Textured illustrations in a soft, predominantly pink palette endear the protagonist to readers, while spare, carefully crafted text delivers an important message of self-acceptance and combating anti-fat bias that never feels preachy or overdone. Bestselling creator Harrison has produced another classic that belongs on every child’s shelf—this is one that will nurture little ones and help them to see the beauty in themselves.
A healing balm with the power to make the world a bit kinder. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-9)
-Kirkus Review show less
When she was a baby, being a “big girl” was good. But at a certain point, getting bigger becomes tinged with negativity. Adults are frustrated with the girl because of her size. Other children tease her. On the playground and in ballet, where she used to feel joyous and free, the girl is humiliated. On wordless spreads, all alone, the girl fills the tightly constricted pages, as if trapped by their borders. She lets show more her feelings out in tears that form a puddle of words—the criticisms of others as well as more positive ones: imaginative, creative, compassionate. Finally, she is able to see clearly, and she decides “to make more space for herself” by pushing the boundaries of the page in a powerful fold-out spread. After that, she knows how to separate the words that do and don’t belong to her and what to do with them. Textured illustrations in a soft, predominantly pink palette endear the protagonist to readers, while spare, carefully crafted text delivers an important message of self-acceptance and combating anti-fat bias that never feels preachy or overdone. Bestselling creator Harrison has produced another classic that belongs on every child’s shelf—this is one that will nurture little ones and help them to see the beauty in themselves.
A healing balm with the power to make the world a bit kinder. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-9)
-Kirkus Review show less
Ayoung Black girl who is told she is too big learns which labels to keep.
When she was a baby, being a “big girl” was good. But at a certain point, getting bigger becomes tinged with negativity. Adults are frustrated with the girl because of her size. Other children tease her. On the playground and in ballet, where she used to feel joyous and free, the girl is humiliated. On wordless spreads, all alone, the girl fills the tightly constricted pages, as if trapped by their borders. She lets show more her feelings out in tears that form a puddle of words—the criticisms of others as well as more positive ones: imaginative, creative, compassionate. Finally, she is able to see clearly, and she decides “to make more space for herself” by pushing the boundaries of the page in a powerful fold-out spread. After that, she knows how to separate the words that do and don’t belong to her and what to do with them. Textured illustrations in a soft, predominantly pink palette endear the protagonist to readers, while spare, carefully crafted text delivers an important message of self-acceptance and combating anti-fat bias that never feels preachy or overdone. Bestselling creator Harrison has produced another classic that belongs on every child’s shelf—this is one that will nurture little ones and help them to see the beauty in themselves.
A healing balm with the power to make the world a bit kinder. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-9)
-Kirkus Review show less
When she was a baby, being a “big girl” was good. But at a certain point, getting bigger becomes tinged with negativity. Adults are frustrated with the girl because of her size. Other children tease her. On the playground and in ballet, where she used to feel joyous and free, the girl is humiliated. On wordless spreads, all alone, the girl fills the tightly constricted pages, as if trapped by their borders. She lets show more her feelings out in tears that form a puddle of words—the criticisms of others as well as more positive ones: imaginative, creative, compassionate. Finally, she is able to see clearly, and she decides “to make more space for herself” by pushing the boundaries of the page in a powerful fold-out spread. After that, she knows how to separate the words that do and don’t belong to her and what to do with them. Textured illustrations in a soft, predominantly pink palette endear the protagonist to readers, while spare, carefully crafted text delivers an important message of self-acceptance and combating anti-fat bias that never feels preachy or overdone. Bestselling creator Harrison has produced another classic that belongs on every child’s shelf—this is one that will nurture little ones and help them to see the beauty in themselves.
A healing balm with the power to make the world a bit kinder. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-9)
-Kirkus Review show less
"Big" tells the story of a not-so-little Black girl growing up in a body that others seem to have lots of opinions about. Over time, her confident sparkle is dimmed as she learns to be uncomfortable in her "too big" body. She feels different and isolated from the smaller children around her, until finally, she reclaims her power and confidence and refuses to be defined by the comments others make about her body. Harrison's illustrations play a huge part in making this story special. The use show more of color and size give readers insight into how the girl percieves herself and the world around her. Her once colorful world becomes bleaker and her size on the page grows larger until she physically hands back the words others have used to hurt her.
The story delivers a powerful message on self-acceptance and body positivity: the opinions of others do not define us. This books is one I would definitely add to my library collection, and I'd give it a 5 out of 5. show less
The story delivers a powerful message on self-acceptance and body positivity: the opinions of others do not define us. This books is one I would definitely add to my library collection, and I'd give it a 5 out of 5. show less
Visual artist Harrison introduces 40 trailblazing black women from United States history in this inspiring volume for young readers.
The book just begs to be picked up, with its handy trim size and its attractively simple cover design featuring smiling brown girls in various historical outfits. Each leader is described in a one-page minibiography that faces a full-page illustration of the woman in clothes and a simplified setting that represent her role and her era. Each concise biography show more includes the leader’s background as a child or youth, touches on her major accomplishments, and ends with her legacy. Some of the women featured are household names, such as Harriet Tubman and Oprah Winfrey. Others are less well-known, including Mamie Phipps Clark and Alice Ball. Whether wearing flying gear or a long ruffled dress, each “little leader” appears utterly approachable. Their surroundings in the pictures capture the diverse accomplishments and personalities of these bold black women, while their small figures and sweet, round faces invite child readers to imagine themselves in such roles. The effect is purely magical.
Perfect for exploring together at bedtime or for children to browse independently, a gorgeous invitation for children of all backgrounds, and especially for black girls, to learn about black women who were pioneers. (Collective biography. 6-12)
-Kirkus Review show less
The book just begs to be picked up, with its handy trim size and its attractively simple cover design featuring smiling brown girls in various historical outfits. Each leader is described in a one-page minibiography that faces a full-page illustration of the woman in clothes and a simplified setting that represent her role and her era. Each concise biography show more includes the leader’s background as a child or youth, touches on her major accomplishments, and ends with her legacy. Some of the women featured are household names, such as Harriet Tubman and Oprah Winfrey. Others are less well-known, including Mamie Phipps Clark and Alice Ball. Whether wearing flying gear or a long ruffled dress, each “little leader” appears utterly approachable. Their surroundings in the pictures capture the diverse accomplishments and personalities of these bold black women, while their small figures and sweet, round faces invite child readers to imagine themselves in such roles. The effect is purely magical.
Perfect for exploring together at bedtime or for children to browse independently, a gorgeous invitation for children of all backgrounds, and especially for black girls, to learn about black women who were pioneers. (Collective biography. 6-12)
-Kirkus Review show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 12
- Also by
- 5
- Members
- 3,912
- Popularity
- #6,468
- Rating
- 4.5
- Reviews
- 124
- ISBNs
- 75
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- 3
- Favorited
- 1