Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Cicchese explores perspective-taking and presence in this quiet tale about noticing a landscape's "small things." First-person descriptions establish the protagonist as a dreamy child drawn to pint-size pleasures--including a doll-house-like "Tiny Town" they construct from homemade and repurposed items. The speaker's grandmother, by contrast, gravitates to more stimulating and invigorating activities. When the pale-skinned duo head to the playground, the child finds it "too loud," preferring to "listen to the soft plop of dewdrops" at a nearby pond. The pattern continues until the child opens up about the "tiny worlds" they notice: "I feel like I'm the only one who sees them." The youth's honesty both prompts a deeper connection between the pair and drives home the value of being present in the world and with others. Ages 3--7. (Jan.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An introspective child sees beauty and wonder in the smallest of objects. While staying at Grandma's house, the young narrator crafts the intricate and aptly named Tiny Town, complete with a road made of ribbon, a Popsicle stick bridge, and a pie tin for the park. The child is content, but Grandma proposes they go to the park ("It might be nice to play with some kids for a change"). The park is noisy and overwhelming, but the youngster finds a quiet space and muses about how to incorporate found objects into Tiny Town. Undeterred, Grandma tries bringing the child to a petting zoo, the woods, and the beach. In each setting, the protagonist finds tiny items more appealing, and eventually, Grandma is drawn into the child's imaginative world. The earth-toned digital illustrations evoke chalk drawings and oil pastels, giving this gentle, understated story an appropriately soft aesthetic. Children who enjoy fairy gardens or other creative pursuits involving miniatures will find a gratifying mirror here. In addition to celebrating introverts, this book is particularly welcome as an intergenerational story that proves that older adults can and should take the time to learn from younger people. The child has pale skin and short brown hair, and Grandma has pale skin and a white topknot. Subtle but with an understated depth, much like its titular tiny worlds.(Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
