Big Boy

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Oli is a young Tanzanian boy who desperately wants to be big. He envies
his older brother, Mbachu, who does not have to take naps and is allowed
to go into the forest by himself. One day, while he is supposed to be
taking a nap, Oli sneaks off into the forest to hunt like Mbachu. There
he encounters Tunukia-zawadi, a magical bird who grants wishes. The bird
grants Oli’s wish to be “big as a mountain and strong as the
wind.” Oli suddenly is a giant with iron shoes and a drum that goes
tuntun.

For the early part of his adventure, Oli quite enjoys being a giant.
Adults can no longer tell him what to do; Oli is the one who gives
orders. His huge body causes an elephant stampede and a mountain
landslide. Best of all, his older brother Mbachu now looks at him with
envy. But the consequences of being a giant soon catch up with Oli. He
becomes lonely. His huge size prevents him from feeding himself. Oli
repents his wish and comes to realize that there were also advantages to
being small.

Although the subject is big, Tololwa Mollel has perfectly captured a
small child’s perspective of the sometimes unfair and authoritarian
grown-up world. E.B. Lewis’s finely detailed drawings add greatly to
Mollel’s narrative. The appeal is universal to small children
anywhere. Highly recommended.