Reading: OUR BIG LITTLE PLACE - James A. Conan (writer), Nicolle Lalonde (illustrator)

Author James Conan's debut is a wonderful, lovingly illustrated picture book aimed at what you can do with a little effort and a big imagination. It focuses on an unnamed, biracial pre-school-aged boy who lives in a high-rise apartment in a big city, where his parents often comment on how small their apartment is, even as their young son disagrees. Though the balcony views of not just the world around him but the buildings and apartments of his friends nearby are enough for our boy to dream, he also recounts for us readers the various games he plays in the apartment, as well as outside in the yard between the buildings with his many friends (even to relay-racing in the halls outside his actual apartment), that prove his "big" his world really is. Drawing Aunt Elizabeth, who watches him by day as his parents work, or his parents into his games around the house only opens the door to even more adventure, especially on days when it's raining outside and outdoor play isn't practical. Each page of Our Big Little Place is crowded with the young boy's games and imagination, sure to catch the attention and awe of any child exploring the book, and - even more importantly - the diversity represented in this novel, from the boy's interracial parents to one of his friends who gets around via wheelchair to a female-female couple (and other mixed-race pairings) representing the neighbors who gather in the play area outdoors to watch the kid or their dogs, is not only uplifting but also makes for the one picture book I've ever seen to depict the real world of the child protagonist of the story the way it would be/should be, in reality. Charming and colorful, it's the kind of picture book kids (especially "city kids") will come back to again and again, fueling their own imaginations while also preparing them for the fact that people come in all shapes, colors, sizes and lifestyles - but we're still all just people in the end, everyone a potential friend.  4/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.