Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Mimi is small-smaller than Daddy, Mommy, two older siblings, and Gus the dog. She is smaller than everyone in her school class and goes unnoticed in the crush of sidewalk crowds. She has a list of things that bug her about her size-bouncing around on the school bus, in shops where she is lower (and again, smaller than most displays), and especially in her school, where all tower over her from classroom to lunchroom. Her family and friends are aware of her feelings and point out size advantages such as her "small secret places" to hide or time to snuggle with Mommy and Daddy. Then Daddy introduces her to a new family member, one even tinier than she. Suddenly she is a big sister. Pen, ink, and watercolor softly illustrate Mimi's world-from playing Knights with Gus to synchronized swimming in the bathtub-with a first-person narrative of detailed scenes that illuminate her inventive imagination and frustrations living small in a big world. VERDICT A comforting read for any young child in a large and growing family, this offering is a suggested first purchase for all libraries.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX © Copyright 2018. 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
Narrator Mimi is so frustratingly diminutive that she can't reach above the bottom of the blackboard at school, see all the desserts in the bakery's display case, etc. Her insecurity is finally mitigated at book's end, when her father introduces her to a tiny new family member. Leng's deft pen-and-ink and watercolor art captures Mimi's pint-size drama to perfection. (c) Copyright 2019. 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
What child hasn't felt too small on occasion? Here, Mimi is smaller than everyone in her family (including the dog) as well as everyone in her class.Mimi's tale starts as one of woe, a litany of drawbacks to being petite: not being noticed in crowds, not being able to touch the floor while seated on the school bus, not being able to see desserts at the bakery, and so on. But there are two sides to every coin, and Mimi's friends help her notice the benefits: winning at hide-and-seek, being in the front row for pictures, and treating the bathtub like a swimming pool. At 48 pages, this is a bit longer than is typical for picture books for young children, but there is limited text on each page, and the illustrations with plenty of white space help make the story accessible. Leng's pen, ink, and watercolor drawingseven the trim size of the whole packageare appropriately small in scale and focus; the pictures are reminiscent of James Stevenson's art. The satisfying ending shows that it doesn't make any difference if Mimi is sad or glad about being small: She won't be the smallest in the family any longer, as a new baby brother has just arrived. Mimiwho wears her brown hair short along with jeans, T-shirt, and a sweatshirt (all too big for her, of course)and her family present white; her friends and fellow students are diverse.A sweet demonstration that a change in perspective can work wonders. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
