Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* A tiny king (depicted actual size on the cover) lives all alone in a big castle. His soldiers are large and stern. His dining table is beyond abundant, but he could never finish so much food all by himself. His bed is lonely. But the tiny king meets and marries a big princess, and happiness arrives. Big happiness. Now his soldiers are dismissed on holiday, his table is attended (the tiny king and big queen have 10 children, after all), and his bed is full of family. Working in digital collage, Miura combines flat blocky shapes, intricate cutouts, photographs, and other bits of iconographic paraphernalia in bright colors, establishing a cohesive and arresting style that references everything from Matisse to Madison Avenue. At the book's opening, this visual array hums on a background of deep, flat black. The arrival of the big princess ushers in a new day, however, and with it, a wave of background color. Now the same scenes sing on top of brilliant pinks and greens and oranges. The simple, old-fashioned quality of the story and the modern drama of the illustrations combine to create an especially dynamic and resonant literary experience, simultaneously innovative and nostalgic, sure to charm legions of tiny listeners.--Barthelmess, Thom Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a Tiny King," Miura (Tools) begins. On the page, the king is no bigger than a fingertip-he's a cross between a Lego man and a king from a deck of cards. He's too small to enjoy the kingly luxuries he's provided with, and he's lonely, too. In his glorious bathtub, "splishing and splashing all by himself was never much fun." A solution appears with gratifying speed. "Then one day, the Tiny King fell in love with a big princess"-she towers over him in a huge red triangle of a dress-"and asked her if she would be his queen. She said yes!" Their 10 children (who are numbered, a bit like playing cards themselves), love the bathtub, help devour the banquet the king is served every night, and fill up his big bed. The simplicity of Miura's story, originally published in Japan, is matched by the blocks-and-toys feeling of the pages, an assembly of cheerful geometric shapes. The lesson that companions are better than possessions is conveyed with bubbly exuberance. Ages 2-5. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-The Tiny King lives all alone in his big castle with too much space, accompanied only by an army. When he falls in love with a big princess, they soon have 10 children who share his massive table, ride in a carriage pulled by his giant white horse, splash in the gigantic bathtub, and fill up the once-empty bed. The king is so happy that he sends his army marching home for a holiday. A digital collage of geometric shapes in bold colors shows the the king's small size and the vast emptiness in all he owns. Black backgrounds change to white after the sovereign falls in love, and the bright colors convey the joy of family life. The pacing and spare text create a gentle tone, making this an ideal story to share at bedtime. The final page shows the king fast asleep in his bed, neither sad nor lonely anymore. An engaging read-aloud, the narrative is also well suited for newly independent readers. The story offers a delightful glimpse into castle life, with its strength revealed in the king's realization of wholeness through familial love.-Julie R. Ranelli, Queen Anne's County Free Library, Stevensville, MD (c) Copyright 2013. 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
This is the simplest of stories. The tiny king is lonely. Hes lonely at his gigantic overstocked dinner table; hes lonely on his oversized horse; hes lonely in his huge elaborate bathtub, and hes lonely in his big, big bed. His only company is an army of stern soldiers. The spacious double-page spreads give the king plenty of room to be tiny in. So, precisely mid-book, he marries a nice big princess and they lose no time in having ten tiny children who gather round the dinner table, play in the bathtub, and cozy up in the family bed. The soldiers are sent packing. The story in pictures has the same clear simplicity, with geometric cut-paper collage in bright colors with decorated papers, touches of old-timey clip art, and Bruna-stylized figures. As the tiny king finds domestic happiness, the background of the pages changes from matte black to matte white to a gorgeous raspberry pink (followed by lemon yellow, pumpkin orange, etc.), and even the bathwater explodes into color. This graphically cheerful, quietly amusing Japanese import is a celebration of family life in the key of (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Lonely little monarch seeks more interesting plot The Tiny King lives all alone in a gigantic castle, commands a large army, rides a huge horse (which he falls off every time he tries to ride), eats a tiny meal at a vast table, takes a modest bath in a monstrous bathtub (with a fountain), and lies sleepless and lonely in the corner of a massive bed. Rather abruptly, he meets and falls in love with a big princess and marries her, just like that. Somehow, they rapidly produce 10 children, oddly almost the same size as the king himself, who are identified only by number. The Tiny King achieves instant nirvana now that he has a large family with whom to share his castle, dinners, horse and carriage, bathtub and bed. Now his need for company is satisfied; he is happy and able to sleep soundly. Miura's exquisite design and strong graphic illustrations, consisting of simple cut-out shapes in vibrant colors and collages using images drawn from eclectic sources, often on matte black paper to enhance the effect, will appeal to very young children. Unfortunately, the book's plot does not match the bold and striking illustrations. Apparently monolithically bent on promoting the value of family, the ensuing lackluster text and simplistic plot may disappoint readers hungry for a rich storyline. (Picture book. 2-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
