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Summary
Summary
The inspiring true tale of young siblings who loved to make stories -- and grew up to be among English literature's finest writers. A picture book for fans of Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein.
Many years ago, the four motherless children of the Brontë family -- Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne -- lived in a windswept house by the moors with their father. Although their lives were often filled with sadness and their world was only as large as the distance they could walk, their INNER worlds were bound only by their imaginations. Hungry for stories, these children devoured novels and poetry, history and fables. And with the gift of a group of toy soldiers, they were inspired to make their own stories, and their own tiny books . . . a passion that would last them a lifetime.
A moving and atmospheric story about the power of imagination, the joy of storytelling and the love of books, The Little Books of the Little Brontës will enchant both those who love these literary sisters and those who are learning about them for the first time. Includes an author's note, timeline of the Brontës' lives and a fun craft with instructions on creating your own little book.
Author Notes
SARA O'LEARY is the author of many beloved picture books for children, including This Is Sadie , which was adapted by the New York City Children's Theatre, and its follow-up, This Is Ruby . Among her most recent books for children are Gemma and the Giant Girl , the recipient of several honors in Canada, and Maud and Grand-Maud , which received three starred reviews. Sara is also the author of the adult novel A Ghost in the House . A graduate of the UBC Creative Writing Program, she has taught screenwriting and writing for children at Concordia University in Montreal.
BRIONY MAY SMITH is the creator of The Mermaid Moon and Margaret's Unicorn , which has been licensed in ten countries and also appeared on the Indie Bestseller list. Her other published books in the U.S. include Imelda and the Goblin King , which the Wall Street Journal called "enchantingly illustrated." She lives in the UK.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a deeply sensitive work, O'Leary (Gemma and the Giant Girl) and Smith (The Mermaid Moon) focus on the diminutive volumes that Charlotte, Anne, Emily, and Branwell Brontë made for each other as children living in austere circumstances. Readers gaze through the window of a parsonage on the moors as Charlotte makes a book for sister Anne on pages "the size of Anne's hand"--in this work, Anne's parents are wealthy, and everything "ends happily." Mention of the real-world deaths of the Brontës' mother and two older sisters is followed by an affirmation of those who remain: "their father, their aunt, and a housekeeper named Tabby. They have many pets. They have each other." The children read everything in the house, invent endless stories for one another, and create books just the right size for their toy soldiers. Mixed-media spreads in muted, autumnal shades visually contrast themes of inner creative fire and outer quiet, as in one spread that reveals dramatic shadows behind the nightgowned children playacting by lamplight. Intimate, thoughtful writing sets the little books in context, seeing them as a response to the family's isolation: "The books they wrote are tiny, but the worlds inside them are huge." Characters are portrayed with pale skin. Back matter concludes. Ages 5--9. (Oct.)
Horn Book Review
From its first words and images, this book about the young Brontes invites readers into the cozy home and companionship of Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. It patently conveys the pleasure both author and illustrator take in these children and their prodigious imaginations as storytellers and bookmakers. In neat, compact sentences -- impressively so given the information conveyed -- O'Leary tells of the Brontes' home and pastimes, and of the flowering of their little books of fantasy stories inspired by the gift of wooden toy soldiers. At the same time, Smith's art offers pictures in which to lose oneself, ranging from the edgeless, vast slopes of the moors to detailed interiors seen through windows and panels. The effect is that of looking into a dollhouse, complete with a bird's-eye view of a table set with food and crockery, an effect exceptionally expressive of the subject matter. O'Leary leaps briefly to Charlotte, Emily, and Anne as successful adult novelists, but she returns to their childhood almost at once; like them, you too could make a little book with a story, she tells us, and here is how to do it. A joyous, beguiling introduction to these Victorian writers. Appended with an author's note and a timeline, in addition to "How to Make Your Own Little Book." Deirdre F. BakerNovember/December 2023 p.104 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
In this marvelous picture-book introduction to the storied Brontë siblings, O'Leary focuses on their formative years and boundless creativities: "Many years before you were born, a child named Charlotte Brontë made a little book for her little sister Anne." Inviting readers to "look through the window of this house on the edge of the wild moors," the warm and conversational second-person narration offers a glimpse into the Brontë's beguiling "world of their own imagining." Struggles are touched upon, like the death of their mother and two older sisters ("there has been sadness in the house for a long time") and financial hardships ("they seldom journey farther than they can walk"). Books afford the children grand adventures and comfort. Smith's winsome mixed-media illustrations capture Charlotte, Emily, Branwell, and Anne happily reading, playing, and inventing characters together. A spectacular nighttime spread shows the children animatedly engaged in a storytelling session with shadows cast by dragons, knights, and castles on the bedroom walls. Detailed back matter provides further inspiration and reflection, with instructions on how to make a teeny-tiny folded book, information about the Brontë's miniature manuscripts, a time line of the literary legends, and source notes. This charming celebration of reading and writing is one for the books.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--5--Lively text and illustrations introduce the Brontë family, who lived "many years before you were born" in a house "at the edge of the wild moors." A double-page illustration contrasts the lonely landscape with the book-filled interior where Charlotte reads aloud a book she has made for Anne, her youngest sister. The rest of the family is first glimpsed at the dinner table, where empty chairs mark the recent loss of their mother and two oldest sisters. A "world unto themselves," the four children explore the moors, read voraciously, and write their own stories to share and enact among themselves. When their father gives them toys, a box of wooden soldiers piques their imagination. They craft tiny books for the soldiers in writing so small that none of the adults in the house can read it. "The books they write are tiny, but the worlds inside them are huge." Mixed media illustrations add period detail and enliven the narrative; books and pets may be glimpsed on almost every page. Excellent appendices include an author's note, time line, and instructions for making a book, as well as a photo showing some of the books made by the Brontë children. This work is excellent for small group sharing, especially for fans of longer picture books like Sophie Blackall's Farmhouse or Melissa Sweet's picture book biographies. VERDICT Exquisitely crafted text and illustrations convey an emotionally resonant tale of resilient family bonds and the lasting joy of stories.--Marilyn Taniguchi
Kirkus Review
As children, the Brontës create their own tiny books and boundless world. The text begins "Many years before you were born," urging readers to "look through the window" at the rapt, rosy faces of Charlotte and Anne, two small girls. Charlotte is making an illustrated book that's the size of a child's palm, imagining the fortunate life of a girl named Anne. In the girls' real life, "there has been sadness in the house for a long time": Almost half the family has died. One poignant bird's-eye perspective shows Charlotte, Anne, Emily, Bramwell, and their father at the dining table with empty chairs for the dead mother and sisters, though family pets sub in. (Woes like tuberculosis and the harsh boarding school the girls attended in real life go unmentioned.) The central event is their father's gift of wooden soldiers that will figure in the invented stories they write in matchbox-size books. Celebrating their free childhoods and eliding years full of struggles, the tale ends with a glance at a future when the novelist sisters "write and write." Instructions on making a folded book are a bonus. The meticulous mixed-media illustrations are tender but never twee, as strong and lively as Yorkshire's misty air and endless moors and skies. In the images, stone structures provide solidity; domestic animals and firelit, pleasant period interiors suggest warmth. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Splendidly affirming for young readers, writers, and artists. (author's note, timeline, sources) (Informational picture book. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
