The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade
“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, ‘Its not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”
The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade by Justin Roberts and Christian Robinson is an inspiring story about a girl that goes unnoticed by those around her - but she notices everything. Sally McCabe observes the world around her quietly at first but musters a big voice declaring, “Enough!” when she has had it with the bad behavior she sees around her. Even though she is the smallest, she makes a big impact.
Christian Robinson has written books of his own and worked with many authors who create books about social justice issues. Robinson has a unique ability to tell a story all on its own using illustrations. There is so much implied in the pictures that require the reader to slow down and pay extra special attention. Essentially, Robinson gives us the opportunity to be especially observant like little Sally McCabe.
When I read this story to my PreK students, they were especially interested in the stories told by the illustrations. The page where a little boy is dragged away from a parent-teacher conference by his “much larger” father elicited a lot of comments. “He’s scared,” one student told me. “His dad isn’t very nice to him.” In the story, Sally McCabe also notices this but doesn’t outright say what many of us know is implied.
Don’t worry, Sally McCabe does speak up and demand change. Her small voice ripples through the school and inspires everyone around her to demand better for one another.
We love this story for young readers. We believe that children are absolutely capable of making meaningful change in the world. We’re thinking of children like Greta Thurnberg, Malala Yousafzai, and Kelvin Doe. Might you read this book to the next Marley Dias? We hope so.
Check out Christian Robinson’s Youtube Page “Making Space”
Some Things to Think About…
Why do you think the author chose Sally McCabe to be the hero of this story?
What have you noticed around you that you want to change? How do you think it felt for Sally to be the first one to speak up?
If you could write the next book, what would Sally do next?
illustrated by Christian Robinson
