Tiny and Teeny

This picture book would surely inspire the writing of many more books about small people living in small items familiar to children. It also has an intriguing pair of holes in the front cover which definitely make you want to peek inside.  You have to look really closely and carefully at the book as there are lots of lovely details in there: mini libraries within books and a hotel made out of a tall coffee pot are just some of the unusual buildings in the book’s town, Glengadget.

Teeny and Tiny live in an apple house and the author immediately enourages the reader to look at it carefully. Involving the reader in the world is a great way of starting the book. The characters spend their time helping others in their town – each page offering more detail about what it is like in the tiny town.  One day a calamity occurs – the apple house is crushed.  Teeny and Tiny have to move into the ‘Grand Hotel’ (the one made out of a coffee pot) but they are really unhappy as this isn’t their home. Luckily the townsfolk help them out and take them on treats to help them recover. Meanwhile they have been working on a new home for the miniature pair and the end of the book is truly a happy resolution with another ingenious home for them.

The book will appeal to a wide range of readers as the story is sweet and simple but the illustrations provide pathways in to more towns and more homes older children might like to create in their own miniature world. The print is bold and clear to read with a simple layout; the use of primary colours make it visually bright and cheery too.