Where do I even begin with how much I love love love this story? First, I love that it features a little girl who loves trucks and crashing things -- and cartwheels. We need more girls who love trucks, science, etc, and we need them in picture books that little ones can read like this one. Second, I love the way Usha and her family explore the stores, drawing attention to space. All girls, all into science :) Finally, I love the way that it encourages to see things from different perspectives, by showing how constellations can all look differently to different people.

The illustrations and typography are also beautiful and perfect for the story, balancing each other nicely. I highly recommend!

Usha and the Big Digger is a delightful picture book by Amitha Jagannath Knight. Though it is meant for 3–6-year-old children, I had a lot of fun reading it. So, I guess, this book is not just for kids!

It’s the story of a little American-Indian child Usha who loves playing with trucks. She wants to cartwheel, and doesn’t give up despite failing innumerable times. At night, Usha and her sister Aarti are lying on the grass under the star-lit sly, but both see different things when they look at the twinkling stars. To Aarti, the group of stars is Big Dipper; while in Usha’s eyes they are nothing but the Big Digger. Things turn interesting when their cousin Gloria arrives with a brand-new truck for Usha. It baffled Usha and Aarti when the same group of stars look like a kite to Gloria. It upsets Usha when others cannot see the Big Digger, but thankfully she is able to resolve their argument and the three girls are happy once again.

It’s impossible to not fall in love with this book. Usha is an adorable child, and her attempts at trying to master at cartwheel are delightful. Sandhya Prabhat’s illustrations are cute, diverse and inclusive. The limited texts make it easier for children to understand without losing interest.
This is a wonderful resource to introduce the concept of spatial reasoning, numbers, shapes and orientation to small children. It also sends across the message of appreciating other’s perspectives and teaches children that our perceptions vary depending on our position. The sibling relationship and familial ties comes across beautifully.

There are activities at the end encouraging children to explore math and understand spatial concepts in a fun manner.

I absolutely adored Usha and the Big Digger and would recommend it wholeheartedly!

Thank you, NetGalley and Charlesbridge Publishing Inc., for the Advanced Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

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!

This was so freaking cute!! The illustrations were absolutely GORGEOUS I want to frame them and put them up on my wall. I’m Indian and I loved seeing a children’s book with Indian main characters that didn’t just revolve around “teaching diversity.” I would’ve loved to have a book like this as a kid. Turns out Indian people can be main characters without the entire narrative centering around the fact that they’re Indian. Casual representation is so so important which I didn’t have as a kid and it makes me so happy knowing that kids have books like these nowadays where they can see themselves! I even laughed when they were turning their heads to see the dipper and the digger and the kite. If I saw this at the store I would definitely get it for one of my little cousins

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!

This was so CUTE! The first sentence definitely caught me: Usha loved trucks. People, it is so nice to see that Usha loves trucks. I just remember my parents telling me that I should play with dolls and not trucks/cars. I also admire Usha's determination to master the cartwheel - something I still can't do. And the Big Dipper! Digger! Whatever you think it is. The author does a great job in reminding us that it's all about perspectives. Everyone sees things from different povs. Aside from the story, the illustrations! Absolutely beautiful! The vibrant colours, art style - all well done. Definitely going to buy this for myself.

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.