Author: Mel Tregonning
Book Review By: Divya Kumar
Class: 7

Small Things

I selected the book Small Things by Mel Tregonning because I feel it is a book that other kids my age must read. When I got it as a gift, I was surprised to see that it was a graphic novel and had no words.

The book stands out for me because the plot is about anxiety in kids. It is true, most of us kids have worries. Some of us worry more as we grow up. Our worries can become a big burden and affect everything we do. Even in my friends’ group, we chose our dress so others don’t think we’re odd. Some of my smart classmates don’t even answer questions in class because they worry. “What if we are wrong? Or what if our friends think we’re acting over smart? What can we do?” We are afraid that if we tell others they’ll make fun of us or say we must think positive thoughts. But it is hard to think positive thoughts when your worry is eating you inside.  The author/illustrator captures the confusion, stress and struggles beautifully using the black and white illustrations.

The story is about an ordinary kid. But he changes slowly and worries about small things. When his worries take over he doesn’t know how to manage them. The boy begins to struggle in school and outside. Luckily, someone close to him notices this and helps him before it gets too bad.

Even though Small Things is a kid’s book, I feel that parents must also read it. It gives them an insight into how we feel when our worries add up. The book points out that our fears may not be normal! That is the problem with these thoughts. They confuse us, and we don’t know what is real. But telling us not to think negatively does not help us manage them. Our worries may seem like small things for you, but for us kids, they are a big deal.

The other important point in Small Things is how the author shows the boy was not always worried. The changes build up slowly. That’s another thing adult must learn from the book. Kids can be happy when they are really young and become anxious as they grow older. When adults say, “But why are you thinking like that? You were okay earlier,” they don’t understand what we are going through. My recommendation is for kids 10-15 and their parents to read this book. It will help adults realise they must learn how to help us.

I understood the author captured kids’ feelings beautifully because she also struggled with mental health problems. Sadly, she died by suicide. The illustrations were completed by another artist, Shaun Tan.

Read more on the author here:

Mel Tregonning

Read other book reviews here:

The Secret Seven

How the Onion got its Layers

Inspector Flytrap

Coraline

The Hobbit

A Night Divided

Stepping on the Cracks

The Story of Ferdinand

The Count of Monte Cristo

First Term at Malory Towers

Math Inspectors

Share with Friends

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Categories
Tags
ADHD 1
Adoption 9
Adventure 9
Autism 1
Autobiography 2
Bilingual book 1
Biography 4
Book review contest 3
CBSE 35
Children's Book 2
Children's Day 1
Chinna Thambi 1
Classics 11
colouring 11
Comics 1
Counting book 1
COVID 19 6
dance 1
Deepavali 0
Delayed milestones 1
Diwali 1
Drama 1
Dyslexia 1
Early intervention 0
Education 4
Education in India 21
Educational Testing 1
Emergent writing 2
Expository text Features 1
Expository text structure 2
Fairy Tales 2
Fantasy 39
Festivals of India 30
Fiction 32
Fine motor skills 1
Folktales 1
Ghost Stories 6
Golu 1
Graphic Novel 2
Harry Potter 11
Historical Mystery 1
Hithopadesha (Tamil) 25
Hithopadesha in Tamil 0
Hitopadesha (Tamil) 1
Horror 2
Humour 20
INavarathri 0
India 8
Indian Air Force 1
indian festivals 20
Indian Independence Day 2
Indian kidlit 32
Indian states 12
Indian Traditions 1
Interview with speacialists 0
Learning to read 6
life cycle of a butterfly 1
Lion 0
Masala Fairy Tales 17
mental health 1
Monsoon 1
Music 1
Mystery 4
Narrative Text Structure 1
Navarathru 0
Navratri 2
Nepal 1
Phonics 1
picture book 11
play 1
Poetry 6
Primary Education in India 1
purangkooramai 0
Reading 1
reading challenge 1
Reading comprehension 4
REPUBLIC DAY 1
Sci Fi 1
Screen time 1
Self help 1
Short Stories 3
Short stories(Tamil) 9
Speech and Language 1
Stories by children 3
Stories from India 40
Tamil Story 37
Text Structure 2
Thirukkural 56
Traditional Indian Games 1
virtual schooling 3
Vocabulary 1
worksheets 35
writing 4
Young Adult 15
Young Writers 20
அன்னப்பறவை-மயில்-போர் 0
அழுக்காறாமை 0
இந்திய திருவிழாக்கள் 5
ஒழுக்கமுடைமை 0
கொக்கு 0
Recent posts