Tiny Worlds: A Story About Appreciating the Small Things

PreS-Gr 4–In this embracing work, a young boy goes to stay with his grandmother for a while. His favorite thing to do is create tiny towns, useing natural materials and items from around the house to crafts roads, houses, parks, and businesses. The boy’s tiny towns then become settings for adventures he imagines. His grandmother encourages him to play with other kids, or big animals, but he persists in finding quiet corners to create his own spaces. On a trip to the beach, he shows his grandmother tide pools and suggests that slowing down and noticing small things is valuable too. The artwork has an organic feel, with a leafy green, gold, and brown palette. The pictures are detailed and the youngest readers will enjoy identifying the many elements in the tiny towns. Older readers will have questions about the boy, such as why he is staying with his grandmother and for how long and why he does not want to play with other kids—questions which could lead to interesting inferential conversations. The story could also be an excellent mentor text for building community and exploring architecture, or in a more whimsical venue, fairy houses.