Seamus's Short Story

PreS-Gr 2—In this hilarious tale, Seamus, a big-headed and blue-haired kid, hates being short. He can never reach what he needs to, including a "horrid" baby picture of himself. He explores a few ineffectual options until he discovers his mom's high heels and, suddenly, he is "having a blast." Seamus's being a boy in pumps passes without comment; high heels are simply a tool that makes Seamus feel great. The illustrations, in rich watercolor and colored pencil, are elegantly patterned and arranged on white backgrounds. The illustrations of Seamus joyfully grabbing the remote and absconding with his embarrassing baby picture are particularly exuberant. Then one day he realizes that some things are pretty low to the ground and being short wouldn't be so bad, which leads him to deliberate on the merits of both before deciding that he doesn't have to choose, a refreshing resolution. The delightful story concludes with a wonderful rendering of a cat, who is present on most of the pages, gleefully wearing four long turquoise cowboy boots.