I am Small – a book for many conversations |

We just read Qin Leng’s I am Small. It’s the perfect picture book for us right now!

“My name is Mimi. I am very small. I might as well be called Mini.”
from I am Small

It’s a story about Mimi, the youngest (and smallest!) in a family of five. She laments that she is the smallest one in the family, smaller than the family dog even.

She can’t touch the floor when seated on the school bus, she can’t see all the desserts at the bakery, and the giant fish of the day looks ready to gobble her up.

A change in perspective

Her friends remind her though, that there are many benefits to her size: being the first in the lunch line and getting the biggest slice of cake, having all the best hiding spots for hide & go seek, and always being in the front row for class pictures.

It’s easy for us to list all the things that we can’t do, or that we don’t like about ourselves. It’s always nice to have friends and family remind us of what we can do, and the advantages of those character or physical traits that we sometimes complain about.

A sweet twist at the end

The end of the book is the sweetest, and caught me by surprise. I wasn’t very observant at the beginning…The father picks Mimi up from school one day and tells her there’s a surprise at home. It turns out to be a newborn brother, someone smaller than Mimi.

She notices how small and brand-new he is, and then whispers encouraging words, perhaps for her, just as much as him. “Just be patient. One day you’ll be big, too!”

Mon Cœur (MC) and I enjoyed reading this book, not only for the surprise ending, but also to talk about what we loved the most about ourselves.

MC shared she loves her sparkling blue eyes, her strong legs, and her pink fingernails!

How tall?

Afterwards, we took the opportunity to measure our heights on the wall – MC, Baby Boy, Chouchou and me. MC’s height tree is in the hallway, and we pass by it several times a day, allowing for opportunities in conversation. We talk about each person’s height, and we compare heights.We have enjoyed reading and rereading this book as there are so many different topics that we can touch on each time we read.