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Summary
Summary
A stunning graphic picture book about childhood anxiety from an extraordinarily talented illustrator. On the cusp of having everything slip from his grasp, a young boy has to find a way to rebuild his sense of self.
In this wordless graphic picture book, a young boy feels alone with his worries. He isn't fitting in well at school. His grades are slipping. He's even lashing out at those who love him.
Talented Australian artist Mel Tregonning created Small Things in the final year of her life. In her emotionally rich illustrations, the boy's worries manifest as tiny beings that crowd around him constantly, overwhelming him and even gnawing away at his very self. The striking imagery is all the more powerful when, overcoming his isolation at last, the boy discovers that the tiny demons of worry surround everyone, even those who seem to have it all together.
This short but hard-hitting wordless graphic picture book gets to the heart of childhood anxiety and opens the way for dialogue about acceptance, vulnerability, and the universal experience of worry.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-In this incredibly moving tale, a boy experiences difficulties-feeling left out, performing poorly on tests, etc. Dark thoughts consume his body and turn into monsters. Not knowing what to do, he suffers in silence. Only when his sister reveals her own hidden pain does the boy realize he's not alone. This wordless, picture book-size graphic novel is rendered in beautiful gradients of pencil. It was created by the late Tregonning and completed by Shaun Tan (The Arrival), whose own style is similarly characterized by surrealism. Cute character designs with bobble heads and circular eyes make the work pensive rather than depressing. This is a sympathetic examination of anxiety that never assigns blame; instead, the authors acknowledge the complexity of the situation and that resolutions aren't easy. Readers will learn that, like the nameless protagonist, we can recognize hurt in others, reach out to them, and help one another move forward. VERDICT With direction from educators, guidance counselors, or parents, this poignant title will resonate with those dealing with mental illness. A superb example of bibliotherapy.-Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ont. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The late Australian artist Tregonning's wordless graphic tale, completed posthumously with help from Shaun Tan, captures the way anxiety can ravage children's lives. Dark, dense pencil drawings show a boy whose doll-like head and huge eyes make his sadness and puzzlement easy to perceive. In the opening sequence of panels, he struggles to approach a group of his peers and is met with rejection. His school performance falters (readers see worksheets marked with Xs), and tiny, swirling creatures plague him, eating away at him until his body begins to crumble like a statue. The boy's parents do not see his pain, but things change when his sister approaches him quietly and shares her own struggle-she has those crumbled bits, too. Now the boy begins to see that the little creatures swarm around more of his peers than he had thought, and he reaches out to one of them. Tregonning creates a visual language for the pain of depression and anxiety, and her story may provide a measure of hope to those who might otherwise have given up in despair. Ages 8-12. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In this wordless story told through paneled graphite art that makes achingly attuned use of chiaroscuro, a boy is having a hard time--not the kind many picture-book kids have en route to finding a problems clear-cut solution, but an enduringly hard time. He tries and fails to fit in with kids at school. His schoolwork is suffering. His anxiety begins to manifest itself as a swarm of little black demons that surround him, day and night. He starts to feel that part of him is being eroded, and sure enough, one day he notices that a small chunk is missing from his arm. Before books end, when the boy makes a friendship overture to someone he recognizes as a fellow demon-fighter, the story may strike readers who dont suffer from debilitating anxiety as almost unbearably sad, but they may also find the events depicted revelatory. (An afterword provides more details about childhood anxiety and a link to resources.) One hopes this book will reach children who relate to the boys plight and anyone who, like the boys sister, suspects that a loved one is in pain and needs help. nell beram (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A young child deals with isolation and the escalation of worry in Tregonning's posthumous wordless picture book.Anxiety is more than a feeling in this visual narrative, more than the pressure of school tests, the loneliness of exclusion by classmates, or the fear of such shortcomings being discovered at home. Anxiety, represented here by ominously sharp swirls of black ink, has a visceral, visual gravitasit grows to fill literal and figurative space as the young protagonist's outlook progresses steadily downhill. Shouldering worry and shame while trying to hide both unsurprisingly takes its toll, and employing a touch of body horror, the barbs of worry that plague the protagonist begin actually to tear away at arms, legs, back, and head until the cracks can no longer be hidden. The poignant effects of an entirely black-and-white palette and masterful shifts in perspective are muddled by a dizzying layout of (sometimes-excessive) individual panels. Younger readers or those with low contrast sensitivity may find it difficult to keep pace. Nonetheless, the refreshing visibility and validity of childhood pressures accompanied by the equally important realization that no one is alone in their experience of such strain balances the slight risk that readers might lose track of the narrative. The tousle-headed protagonist is depicted with pale skin and attends a fairly diverse school.A picture book that wants to be a graphic novel, and a message worthy of both. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* In this wordless picture book-graphic novel mash-up, originally published in Australia, artist Tregonning introduces an unnamed boy grappling with corrosive anxiety. His demons appear on the basketball court, in the classroom, even at home and they aren't merely metaphorical. A torrent of jagged black swirls accompanies each of the boy's alienating encounters and discouraging test scores. And though they start small, the creaturelike curls quickly grow, trailing and surrounding the boy at every turn. Before long, his skin begins to chip away like cracked porcelain. But the boy is not alone; in fact, he soon finds almost everyone has demons of their own. With artwork direction and assistance from the renowned Shaun Tan, this posthumous release following Tregonning's death in 2014 unfolds in a series of masterful, soft graphite illustrations. Much like the boy's ever-transforming anxieties, panels shift from slender, compressed squares to sweeping double-page spreads. The otherworldly glow of the black-and-white palette, too, elegantly underscores the boy's ongoing battle against darkness. More than a moving portrayal of one boy's struggle, this is also a magnifying lens through which to identify and discuss mental illness with readers of all ages. Don't let its title or page count fool you, Small Things' effects are monumental.--Shemroske, Briana Copyright 2018 Booklist
