AS BIG AS YOU
SARA ACTON
Claude is a large elephant. Finlay is a
small one. Claude can trumpet so
loudly, the earth shakes! Finlay can only
squeak and spurt tiny fountains with his
trunk. Will he ever be as big as Claude?
ISBN: 9781743629697
TEACHER NOTES
Teacher notes written
by Radhiah Chowdhury
RRP: $24.99
• Do some research into elephants. What different species of
elephant are there? Where do they live? What do they eat?
What are the biggest threats to their survival? Compile your
findings into a poster presentation.
• What do you usually expect when you read a story featuring
elephants? Find some other fiction books about elephants in
your school library and compare them to As Big As You. How
does Sara Acton’s story differ from them?
• Although elephants are the biggest land mammals in the
world, this is a story about being small. How does her story
subvert your expectations about elephant stories?
• Look at how some of the words have been illustrated in the
book, such as ‘shakes’ and ‘squeak’. How do they reflect
what the word means? Think of some other words that could
be illustrated in a way that demonstrates their meaning.
• Why do you think Finlay wants to be as big as Claude? Have
you ever wanted to be bigger or stronger than you are?
Why? How did you deal with these feelings?
• What do you think Claude means when he says, ‘There is no
hurry to grow big. No hurry at all’? Has anyone ever told you
this? What does growing big/growing up mean? What sorts of
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Teacher notes written
by Radhiah Chowdhury
things would you do once you are big? What sorts of things
would you no longer be able to do?
Look at how the book has been designed, to open from the
top, rather than from the left. What effect does this have on
the book? Is it well-suited to the elephant characters? In small
groups, think about another way a book might be designed
to reflect a particular animal.
Look at the butterfly that features on some of the pages as
well as the cover. How do its wings mimic Finlay’s ears? A
butterfly is a small and fragile creature, especially when
compared to an elephant. Why do you think Sara Acton has
included it in the book?
How do you think Finlay and Claude are related? Using what
you have learned about elephant herds from the first activity,
write a short passage explaining the relationship between the
two elephants. Who else might be in the herd? Create
another elephant character who belongs to Finlay and
Claude’s family group.
Examine Sara Acton’s colour palette throughout As Big As
You. What sorts of colours has she used? What colours stand
out (eg the cheetah in the tree)? What emotions and tone
does the colour palette convey?