Mia's Thumb

Mia navigates life's challenges with her thumb in her mouth, and her family unsuccessfully campaigns to break her of this coping mechanism. Snappy text works well with the cut-paper collages' expressive faces and body language to capture the stubbornness and frustration at play. Ultimately, clever Grandma takes up thumb-sucking herself, leading to an open ending that will presumably allow Mia to break her own bad habit.

Whether she's facing boredom, sadness, excitement, or fear, Mia navigates all of life's challenges with her thumb in her mouth. Sucking her thumb provides comfort and courage, but her family finds this coping method unacceptable. Worrying about crooked teeth, developmental stages, and general embarrassment, they campaign to break her of her habit, trying a variety of unsuccessful solutions. These include shaming, bribing, and drawing a little king on Mia's thumb, thinking she wouldn't want to put him in her mouth ("'The little king tastes nice,' Mia said, and he soon disappeared"). Cut-paper collage done in woodsy browns and greens and in tasteful patterns stand out against ample white space to give this thumb-sucking book an elegant, sophisticated feel. The snappy text works well with the expressive faces and body language to capture the stubbornness and frustration at play in the family drama. Ultimately, and to Mia's embarrassment, clever Grandma takes up the thumb-sucking habit herself ("I'll try it!"), leading to an ending that, while abrupt, will presumably allow independent-minded Mia to break her own bad habit. julie roach