My Little Small

(Hardback)

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Description

A lonely Creature lives deep within the mountain. Sadly, sunlight makes her sick, so her world is gray-until a spark from way up high falls down to her. She tries every night to reach the moon, dreaming of friendship. But one morning, a sun spark comes flying into her cave! What wondrous things she has to say about the vibrancy of life under the sun. Their time together is limited, but the Spark is curious and the Creature realizes she has some stories of her own to share.

Reviews

"Generously open to young readers' interpretations, this Swedish import lingers."--Kirkus Reviews
"A dramatic yet whimsical story of a short-lived but all-encompassing and tender relationship between two unlikely entities..." --Charles Sutton, Vermont Country Sampler
"...a touching philosophical story." --Outside in World
""My Little Small" is the story of a creature who tries every night to reach the moon, dreaming of friendship. But one morning, a sun spark comes flying into her cave! What wondrous things she has to say about the vibrancy of life under the sun. Their time together is limited, but the Spark is curious and the Creature realizes she has some stories of her own to share. "--The Midwest Book Review
"Right away, you know this is no ordinary children's book -- introducing weakness, sickness and death on the first page. And yet the Creature peeking out to check for the setting sun is anything but macabre, even with her sharp teeth. She has this wide-eyed innocence and curiosity that springs to light in Bondestam's energetic grays."--Joy Murray
"This tale has a tenderness about it, in large part thanks to Stark's deft writing and Prime's thoughtful translation; so vividly does the Creature's personality gel on the page, and how beautifully both author and translator can turn a phrase. We know of the Creature's loneliness: She has to self-soothe (sucks her thumb and sings "GRRRR" to herself to calm herself down) to even get to sleep in her dark cave, just before dreaming about a friend to care for. We know of her vulnerability, which is expressed through bouts of rage, especially when she turns on herself for crying when she feels alone. ("There, there," she tells herself.) We know she has subtlety in her soul, as she stares at the sunset and thinks, "How beautiful it is!" We know she's not too defeated to try: One night, she floats to the moon's reflection on the water and tries to embrace it, not understanding it would shatter into "a thousand gleams." The frogs laugh at her as she mourns this. And we know, despite her defeats, she refuses to give up hope, even giving herself pep talks. ("Don't be sad. You are big, and everything will be better tomorrow.") [...] I don't have a crystal ball, but I think I can safely say this picture book is unlike any other we'll see this year. A poignant and memorable tale of friendship-found, don't miss it."--Julie Danielson, on Kirkus Reviews
"One of the most powerful picture books ... with a message so many will crave. [...] A satiating story of being truly seen as you are and finding a way to share your love. A powerful and timeless fairy tale that we will all benefit from cherishing." --Jesica Sweedler DeHart, The Wandering Bookseller

Author Bio

Ulf Stark was a much-loved, award-winning Swedish poet, author and screenwriter. He wrote around 100 books for children and young adults, and which have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Linda Bondestam, born in 1977, lives in Helsinki and works as an illustrator. She is a graduate of Kingston University, London. She has illustrated more than 25 books that have been translated into 10 languages. Linda has been nominated twice for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the highest award in children's literature.
Annie Prime is a literary translator of French, Swedish, Russian and Spanish. Since receiving her MA in translation from University College London, she has translated five books.