• Age: 4 to 8
• Grade: p to 3

From author Ishta Mercurio and illustrator Jen Corace, the picture book Small World is a beautiful story that “reassures young readers of their place in the world and encourages them to remain full of wonder and curiosity as they grow” (School Library Journal, Starred Review).

When Nanda is born, the whole of her world is the circle of her mother’s arms. But as she grows, the world grows too. It expands outward—from her family, to her friends, to the city, to the countryside. And as it expands, so does Nanda’s wonder in the underlying shapes and structures patterning it: cogs and wheels, fractals in snowflakes. Eventually, Nanda’s studies lead her to become an astronaut and see the small, round shape of Earth far away.

A geometric meditation on wonder, Small World is a modern classic that expresses our big and small place in the vast universe.

“Lyrical writing and graceful illustrations together convey the idea that learning opens up a whole world. Mercurio does more than nudge kids in the direction of STEAM fields; she celebrates the beauty of discovery and the elegance of flight.” —Publishers Weekly

Ishta Mercurio studied dance and theater at Simon’s Rock College of Bard. In between homeschooling her children, she teaches writers how to use theater techniques to improve public readings. She lives with her family in Ontario, Canada.

Ishta Mercurio's profile page

Jen Corace is the award-winning illustrator of many books for young readers, including the beloved Little Pea/Oink/Hoot series by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Telephone by Mac Barnett. Corace lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island.

Jen Corace's profile page

"A thought-provoking and evocative book."

Kirkus Reviews

"Mercurio's gorgeously poetic text effortlessly balances the wonders of the natural world with the wonders created by scientists and engineers. Her repeating refrain as Nanda gets bigger and bigger ensures that this story is comforting to its youngest readers, while including enough variation to inspire older ones. Corace's gouache, ink and pencil spreads are always warm and bright, anchored by geometric shapes and patterns . . . The illustrations reinforce the text's premise that, with encouragement and self-motivation, Nanda will continue to feel secure in her "safe, and warm, and small" world, even as its boundaries expand."

Shelf Awareness

"Lyrical writing (“the microscopic elegance of fractals in the snow”) and graceful illustrations together convey the idea that learning opens up a whole world. Mercurio does more than nudge kids in the direction of STEAM fields; she celebrates the beauty of discovery and the elegance of flight."

Publishers Weekly

**STARRED REVIEW**
"This beautiful story reassures young readers of their place in the world and encourages them to remain full of wonder and curiosity as they grow. A first purchase."

School Library Journal