Posts Tagged ‘Mel Tregonning’

Small Things “black and white panel illustrations tell a thousand words…” says Vancouver Family Magazine

November 23rd, 2018

Vancouver Family Magazine “It may be impossible to know if childhood anxiety is on the rise, or if society is simply and finally calling it what it is. But in either case, the challenge is clear: many kids experience intense fear and uncertainty in an increasingly changing world. Small Things by Mel Tregonning (Pajama Press […]

Posted in Book Illustrators, Mel Tregonning, Small Things

Small Things offers “hope,” says ASLC Litpicks

November 22nd, 2018

ASLC Litpicks “This large graphic novel styled picture book tells the story of a young boy whose anxiety manifests itself as tiny beings, who gnaw away at his very identity. The powerful imagery of anxiety and worry as beings is told entirely through wordless illustrations. They eat away at him, affecting his social interactions, school work and increases […]

Posted in Book Illustrators, Mel Tregonning, Small Things

Literacious calls Small Things “A truly powerful story”

September 4th, 2018

“Personal Reaction: This is an extremely powerful, wordless graphic novel about the anxiety and worry that affects one little boy and yet is so universal in its imagery. I think this would make a powerful addition to an older elementary and even middle school classroom and would be a great conversation starter for a class, book […]

Posted in Small Things

Small Things gets a 5-star review from Jill's Book Blog

June 8th, 2018

“When I was a kid, I didn’t like picture books without words. However, now I know that the pictures can tell a more powerful story without words. This is the case with this book…. The illustrations in this book are beautiful….The depiction of his demons were much more prominent though the images than they would […]

Posted in Small Things

Canadian Bookworm says Small Things “blew [her] away”

June 3rd, 2018

“This graphic picture book just blew me away….The drawings are amazing, showing the child’s emotions clearly. The way the drawings show the loss of self are brilliant and relatable. I absolutely loved this book and will be recommending it. The publisher information indicates a targeted age range of 8-12, but it can definitely be for […]

Posted in Small Things

Small Things “offers a significant potential gift: understanding, and the possibility of recovery” says The Times Literary Supplement

May 11th, 2018

“When giving children books, well-meaning adults may feel impelled to offer challenge, too – opting for text-dense vocabulary boosters at the reader’s diagnosed level, with the difficulty ramped up a little for luck. However gentle, though, this sort of nudge is not an unalloyed blessing. It may pluck children out of storylines in which they were […]

Posted in Small Things

Small Things is “a must-have, one-of-a-kind addition to every school library and home collection” says CM Magazine

April 20th, 2018

“Every once in a while, we are privileged with the gift of holding in our hands truly unique and emotionally riveting books which have the capacity to leave permanent footprints etched in the heart. Mel Tregonning’s Small Things is, undeniably, one of those books. While Tregonning’s untimely passing in 2014 has resulted in her being unable to […]

Posted in Small Things

Small Things earns a Booklist Starred Review

March 1st, 2018

“In this wordless picture book-graphic novel mashup, originally published in Australia, artist Tregonning introduces an unnamed boy grappling with corrosive anxiety….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 […]

Posted in Small Things

A Starred Review for Small Things from School Library Journal!

March 1st, 2018

“[An] incredibly moving tale…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 […]

Posted in Small Things

Recent Posts

Archives

Back to top