Mr Big: early lessons in acceptance, with a side order of jazz

With a mother standing 5'10", and a father of over 6 feet, it seems likely that my daughter is going to be quite a tall adult herself. I can't say that I've sailed through life entirely untroubled by my height, so it was nice to come across a picture-book promoting acceptance of all sizes, large and small.

Mr Big is the story of a massive gorilla, whose size frightens most people away, until he finds that he can express himself through the medium of music. Hearing the sounds he makes, without knowing who is producing them, his neighbours take him to their hearts.

There's a deep message there, for those who want or need it. But otherwise, there's plenty to admire in the fantastic jazz-style illustrations of Ed Vere.

Just one small side-note: the colour palette, while fabulously redolent of the jazz age it is playfully trying to reconstruct, is not quite so groovy when you're trying to read by a dim bedside light: black type tends to merge with the dark backgrounds on some pages. It's a small quibble, though, and it's definitely worth buying the book even if it means you read it with all the lights on.