The Biggest Smallest Christmas Present – Harriet Muncaster, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, (9780399164323), 2016
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 1- 5 (5 is excellent or a Starred review) 4
Genre: Picture Book
What did you like about the book? Clementine is a very tiny girl reminiscent of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic Thumbelina. The pen and ink illustrations colored in watercolor and acrylic paint perfectly portray this tiny girl as she bathes in a teacup and sleeps in a matchbook. Clementine with her black lines of hair and red bow calls to mind Kay Thomson’s Eloise. Most of the time Clementine finds it fun to be tiny and her average sized family are very supportive. But every Christmas Santa delivers toys that are much too big for her. Clementine tries different ways to convey her size to Santa, but something always goes wrong. Finally her family helps Clementine print out photos of her playing with previous Christmas gifts. That Christmas she awakes to a find a present that is the biggest one of all! Happily Santa got the message because once Clementine unwraps the gift she finds a dollhouse that is the perfect size for her to play inside. This is a sweet Christmas story about a very unusual, very determined and very happy young girl. Readers will be wishing for more Clementine adventures.
Anything you didn’t like about it? No
To whom would you recommend this book? This is a sweet holiday book that will appeal to readers looking for a new Christmas story.
Who should buy this book? Public libraries and elementary school libraries
Where would you shelve it? Picture Books
Should we (librarians/readers) put this at the top of our “to read” piles? No
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City: Catherine Coyne, Mansfield Public Library, Mansfield, MA
Date of review: 11/27/16
Youth Services Book Review 
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