Usha and her sisters enjoy looking at the stars, but they each see something different in the constellations - the Big Dipper, a Big Digger, or a kite. At first there is anger when the sisters disagree on the image in the stars, but by changing their perspective they learn that each of them is seeing the stars differently and not simply refusing to see what each sister chooses to.

This book is a WONDERFUL intro for several lessons. Scientifically, it talks about constellations and their orientation in the sky. Culturally, it shows how some nations may use the stars to tell different legends than those we are familiar with. Personally, it helps children to understand that their perspective isn't always the only "right" one. A fantastic book for kids to experience!

Thank you to Charlesbridge and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review!

A cute story with really beautiful illustrations. I like how Usha, her sister, and their cousin each saw something different in the stars. You can’t help but also try to see if other things can be made out of those seven stars. I like how the author includes some information about how other cultures view the Big Dipper.

What a lovely book for showing different people's points of views and how to share and understand them. I love the facts at the end too and how this book can be educational about the stars.

Although I loved the idea of the little girls looking at the star and seeing from different perspective. I think the story could have been more flushed out, more details. I felt like the story did not have a smooth flow to it, it felt it went from cartwheels to constellation and back to cartwheels. The transition of the story events felt uneven and difficult.

My 3 year old daughter loved this book! The story was a great way of introducing astronomy while also incorporating the patience needed to learn a physical skill like cartwheels.

I especially loved the illustrations. The jewel tone color palette throughout was really beautiful. I’m always looking for books that show representation and this really highlighted that beautifully with a story that can be universal for all kids.

Fantastic book that shows perseverance and seeing things from other perspectives. It also had great illustrations!

Usha and the Big Digger. At first, I thought this will be a book of cars, trucks, and so. But it is actually a book on different perspective. While her sister saw a Big Dipper, Usha saw a Big Digger. A very interesting book about how we see things and other see the same thing. Sometimes we need to be align to see it just like other.

While Usha's sister sees the Big Dipper, Usha sees the Big Digger! This is a cute look at pattern recognition and how different people have alternative perspectives.
Love the art and the choice of colors!

Usha loves playing with trucks, and she looks up to her big sister. When her sister, Aarti, tries to show her the big dipper in the night sky, she can’t understand why Aarti doesn’t seem to understand it is really a big digger. The sisters just can’t seem to agree or see the other’s point of view. When a cousin comes to visit, she sees something else entirely. Usha will need to get some perspective in order to see what everyone else is talking about, but at the end of the day, everyone has their eyes opened.

We loved Amitha Jagannath Knight’s Usha and the Big Digger. With Indian American characters and a girl who loves trucks, and girls involved with astronomy, this book has some representation cred. The book is a great story of viewing things from different perspectives and looking at things from the viewpoint of others. The illustrations are bright and add to the story.

Usha loves trucks. So when her sister shows her The Big Dipper in the starry night sky, Usha sees a BIG DIGGER instead. Her cousin sees a kite. She becomes frustrated that no one else can she what she sees, until she looks at things from another perspective and understands what they see. This is a wonderful book about using your imagination and seeing different perspectives, accompanied by bold and colorful cartoonish illustrations that emphasize purples and pink hues. It contains activities in the back that parents or teachers can use to help children explore the concepts in the story.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

An adorable story of a little girl who sees her favorite truck, a big digger, in the sky when her big sister points out the big dipper. Another friend's input and a cartwheeling change of perspective help the sisters settle their argument and help each other out. Adorable, bright illustrations and great mathematical knowledge for beginning astronomers.

When sisters Usha and Aarti look up at the night sky, they see different things. When Aarti explains the Big Dipper to Usha, Usha sees the Big DIGGER instead and it sparks an argument. When cousin Gloria visits, she sees a big kite, and the argument continues. All throughout the story, Usha is trying to perfect the cartwheel, but she keeps missing and plopping down halfway through. When she finally turns a cartwheel, however, her perspective on the night sky changes. She rushes to share her findings with Aarti and Gloria, when they move into different positions and change their perspective, they are able to see the stars through each other’s eyes.

This is an adorable story about seeing the world through multiple perspectives and understanding the views of others. Plus, the illustrations are beautiful and the girls have a fun adventure. Your little one will also learn a bit about the night sky. Winning all the way around.

If you have spent any time with little ones, you know they believe one thing with ferocious spirit: they are always right. Ulsa and the Big Digger takes us on a stargazing journey filled with big emotions and frustrations. Ulsa and her crew look at the same set of stars but each see something different. I loved that the end of the book offered some great building and math activities that would correlate beautifully with a read aloud of the story. It would be a welcome addition to both classrooms and homes to help children develop social emotional skills, as well as acceptance of alternate points of view.

Suuuuuuper cute! Love the illustrations, love that Usha is so interested in the dipper and teaching others about it. My first reaction was 'now THIS is more like it!' Loved this book! I would love a version in a board book with less text for smaller kiddos, too!

Thanks to Charlesbridge Publishing + NetGalley for the e-advance copy of USHA AND THE BIG DIGGER by Amitha Jagannath Knight, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat. Expected pub date August 3, 2021.


Such an adorable and fun book that I absolutely love and no doubt, is perfect for reading and rereading and rereading. Family, perspective and point of view, child enthusiasm, and STEM abound in "Usha and the Big Digger". Usha and her sister and cousin each view the constellation as a big dipper, big digger, and kite - it was so fun to think about each of their perspectives and know children will be able to relate and get excited about figuring out what they can see in the night sky. Also, the illustrations are GORGEOUS. A definite must for all kinds of libraries.

Charming. Parents and kids alike will enjoy making all the fun sound effects. A wonderful way to teach kids about constellations and groups of stars. A delight in its unapologetic diversity. In addition, has the aspect of discussing math and rotation of objects that helps introduce this concept at an early age.

Have you ever looked up at the constellations in the sky and scratched your head because you can't possibly see how the ancients saw Cassiopeia and her chair in those bunch of stars up there.

That is Usha's problem. Because she is lying a different way than her sister, she doesn't see the Big Dipper, but a Big Digger, with the scoop part of the constellation, being the the body of the digger.

Then, when her cousins come out, they see a kite, because they are lying a different way.

It is all about how viewpoint changes things, although the STEM research says that this is how to learn about geometry and spatial relationships.

<em> Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

4 stars

In this extremely adorable and educational picture book, Usha and her big sister, Aarti, do some stargazing and some awesome prep for future careers in STEM! The illustrations are appealing and clear, and the additions to the end of the text provide some good, entry-level insight into math and astronomy.

I do wish there was a bit more character development happening here, even considering the genre, but this is a wonderful and entertaining read nonetheless!

OH. MY. GOSH. SO. FREAKING. CUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE. Every single page of this book was just so filled with joy and dance and cartwheels and stars. The artwork in this kind of reminded me of She's Charmed and Dangerous, a card game I played when I was really little. Which is to say that I *adored* the artwork in this.

A great book about stars and perspectives for young kids!

This book is beautiful. This book is fun. This book is clever. I loved it. I loved little Usha wanting to cartwheel and trying again and again. I loved her love of trucks. And I loved the girls learning to see things from each other's point of view (and the mathematics lesson on the importance of perspective that lead into). This is the absolute perfect book to sit and read with small kids whose spatial reasoning skills are in development because the fun and entertaining story and illustrations will keep them engaged through the more detailed educational matter in the last pages (after seeing the Big Digger with Usha who wouldn't want to learn about how other cultures around the world see the same stars?)