THE TINY THING
by Ellen Tarlow
Illustrated by Lauren Stringer
Beach Lane Books
Picture Book
40 pages
ages 4 to 8
COMING OCTOBER 6th!!!
A mole stumbles upon a tiny thing and finds his life forever changed by the power of imagination and finding self-confidence in this tender and enchanting picture book.
When shy Mole is out walking one day, he sees a tiny thing. He brings it to his burrow and immediately sets out to make it feel at home. Mole, who had never been noticed by the squirrels or included by the birds, finds an imaginary friend in the tiny thing. Soon, he feels brave enough to share songs, secrets, and stories—and even bring the tiny thing out into the world!
Sometimes, even the tiniest of encouragement is all that’s needed to branch out and make new friends.
When shy Mole is out walking one day, he sees a tiny thing. He brings it to his burrow and immediately sets out to make it feel at home. Mole, who had never been noticed by the squirrels or included by the birds, finds an imaginary friend in the tiny thing. Soon, he feels brave enough to share songs, secrets, and stories—and even bring the tiny thing out into the world!
Sometimes, even the tiniest of encouragement is all that’s needed to branch out and make new friends.
MY TIDBITS
It's not easy to step beyond self-made boundaries and discover the world outside, and these pages show the magic of doing just that.
Mole is shy and keeps to himself, careful with everything he does. When he happens to pass by something very small, he can't help but take it back with him to his burrow. He dresses it up and creates a tiny friend. Before he knows it, he talks to the friend more and more often, and even begins dancing. He would have never trusted himself to do anything like that before, but the little friend offers silent encouragement. Finally, Mole even takes the little thing outside with him and continues to talk to it, building things and more...and this might lead to something he never would have guessed possible.
Mole is easy to like from the very first page. Although shy, it's clear he has a very gentle demeanor and kind heart. It's hard not to smile as he gives the tiny thing a bit of personality...something I could see listeners wanting to imitate to make their own Tiny Thing. Mole's ability to express himself grows from page to page, adding fun and a touch of humor along the way. It's heartwarming to watch. The end carries a lovely message to round everything off.
The illustrations draw in and bring across the scenes with wholesome goodness. Listeners will have no problem picking this up on their own to follow Mole's little adventure...and that of Tiny Thing. The text flows smoothly and works great for a read-aloud. It holds a steady pace despite the gentle plot and is sure to keep readers engaged, especially since the Tiny Thing holds a bit of a secret as well. This aspect only pops up in the illustrations and invites listeners to carefully watch what happens to Tiny Thing over time.
It's an adorable, calming read with tons of warmth.
And here they are...
Ellen Tarlow writes stories for children, including the picture books Looking for Smile, Becoming Blue, and The Tiny Thing. She has been a teacher and for many years worked as an editor of early childhood classroom materials. Ellen lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband, David, a painter.
Lauren Stringer has illustrated many celebrated picture books, including The Tiny Thing by Ellen Tarlow; Deer Dancer by Mary Lyn Ray; The Princess and Her Panther by Wendy Orr; Scarecrow and Snow, both written by Cynthia Rylant; as well as her own Winter Is the Warmest Season, When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky, The Dark Was Done, and An Abundance of Light. She lives with her family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Visit her at LaurenStringer.com.