Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5-9. Drawing on oral tradition and the single surviving 1621 copy in New York's Pierpont Morgan Library, Mayer revisits this classic story. Children may recognize motifs familiar from other tales: a giant who threatens to "grind his bones," a fairy godmother, a coach drawn by mice. They may not know the ties between the tale of the boy no bigger than his father's thumb and magician Merlin of King Arthur's court. But they'll respond to this vivid narrative, in which Tom Thumb bests giants and escapes from being swallowed by first a cow and then a salmon, and leaves the splendor of Arthur's court because he misses his parents. Craft's gorgeous illustrations are inspired by twelfth-century English illuminated manuscripts: the full-page paintings glimmer with layers of color almost iridescent in intensity; the text pages dance with drolleries, tendrils and vines, and all manner of flora and fauna. A handsome rendition of a little-seen story. GraceAnne A. DeCandido
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Mayer introduces the little hero who comes of a wish granted by Merlin to a childless farm couple and who eventually becomes the darling of King Arthur's court. In quick succession, Tom is swallowed by a cow and tickles his way out, and is snatched by a raven that drops him down the chimney of none other than the giant who has been plaguing the countryside. The protagonist offers his services around the house, but eventually the huge man's evil nature overtakes him and he eats Tom. Having already dealt with the cow, Tom gives Gembo such a case of intestinal distress that the giant coughs him into the moat, where he is eaten by an enormous salmon, which a fisherman catches and takes to King Arthur. Since Gembo has left the country in shame, Tom is knighted and feted by the court, and when he begins to miss his parents, he returns to their farm with a bag of gold coins. Mayer's fine retelling is sure to capture the fancy of young readers as happily as she's captured the spirit of the little fellow's adventures. Less wordy than older retellings, this luscious edition will find a ready audience, and the source notes will aid and satisfy teachers and researchers. Craft's opulent oil-over-watercolor illustrations will draw in even the most reluctant reader. The impish Tom, with curly red hair and freckles, is dressed in elfin finery with a tiny, magic sword strapped at his side. An appealing choice for even the youngest reader to embrace.-Jeanne Clancy Watkins, Chester County Library, Exton, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary) The dust jacket featuring an engaging young boy astride a richly caparisoned mouse sets the tone for an elegant retelling of the familiar folktale. Mouse and rider gallop through clouds of thistledown, suggesting the size and weight of the two as an introduction to the marvels that follow. Events are similar to other versions: an elderly couple longing for a child are gifted through magic with a son only as big as his father's thumb. Despite his small size, the boy is remarkable for wit and perseverance. Because of his small stature, he is subject to dangers unknown to most individuals-such as being eaten by a cow, carried away by a crow, or swallowed by a fish-from which he always escapes unscathed. But then Mayer adds a new twist to the familiar tale. For Tom's greatest triumph is his overcoming the giant Gembo, who has been plaguing the lands of no less than King Arthur himself. Mayer's thoughtful afterword documents the source for her interjection of a folk hero into the King Arthur legend. Certainly, it both works and delights, as does the flowing text. Illustrator Craft's paintings, at once decorative and interpretive, suit the mood and time. Together, both words and pictures capture the essence of fairyland. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The creators of Pegasus (1998) and other lyrical renditions of ancient legends give the career of King Arthur's tiniest knight a sumptuous makeover. Mayer combines elements from several traditional versions to create a comfortably readable narrative. Born to a loving farm couple, Tom is endowed with instant maturity and a magic sword by the Queen of the Little People, and goes on, after being nearly or actually swallowed by various animals, to earn his knighthood by driving a giant away. To the author's formal, supple prose Craft matches golden-toned, finely detailed borders, historiated initials and full-page scenes, all framed with leafy tendrils and minuscule patterns; though the characters' dress is medieval, the visual effect is closer to Renaissance manuscript illumination. Capped by a merry party-and a scholarly source note-this makes a dazzling alternative or successor to Richard Jesse Watson's photorealistic 1989 version of the tale. (Picture book/folktale. 8-10)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
