How Big Is Big? How Far Is Far?

“Depending on who or what you are standing next to, you can feel either very short or very tall,” begins this book of comparisons, which is dominated by vibrant images in the vein of the work of Hergé and Joost Swarte. The spreads revolve around such questions as “how fast?” or “how big?” with Van Der Veken using images of vehicles, animals, and objects to highlight relative sizes, speeds, quantities, and more. In one of two scenes exploring comparative life spans, a humpback whale looms over a mosquito, rabbit, human, and giant tortoise (“One day for a mosquito would be the equivalent of several years for a human,” a caption notes). Bright primary-color accents and bold, graphic layouts bring a powerful visual impact to this idiosyncratic blend of math, science, and art. Ages 5–10. (May)