Western Books in Chinese Home » Chinese Books » Story Books » Western Books in Chinese

A lighthearted, clever story presented in an oversize, colorful package. A bright blue giant squid cruises through the ocean, proudly noting that he is bigger than all the creatures he encounters. From shrimp to shark, he repeats his refrain, I'm bigger than…, sounding remarkably similar to a three-year-old cheerfully cataloging his world. Briefly dismayed when swallowed by a voracious whale (who has also swallowed up everyone else whole including the shark), the squid rallies by noting, I'm the biggest thing in this whale! This buoyant tale, filled with nonthreatening cartoonish denizens of the deep blue (and turquoise and green) sea, makes no effort to be realistic or educational but just simple fun, which is its charm. (Note the squid on the back cover proudly stating that he is bigger than the bar code.) Bathtub stickers of all the creatures in the story with a warning label about choking hazards for the under-three set are included–a curious marketing decision since that seems the age of at least half the intended readership. Ages 4-8.

“我是一只大王乌贼。也许你还没注意到我，但我真的很大很大。我比这页纸大！我比这本书大！我敢打赌，你再也找不出比我更大的东西了！”在大海里，生活着一只大王乌贼。他坚定地认为自己是大海里最大的生物。的确，他比虾米大，比螃蟹大，比水母大，比鲨鱼大。可是有一天，他被一种比他大得多的生物——鲸鱼吞进了肚子。可是他马上又发现，在鲸鱼的肚子里，他是最大的。本书的构图简洁明快，文字不断重复，非常符合儿童的认知特点和语言特点，洋溢着快乐的气息。