? ?Adults and children who read this delightful and imaginative book together will find lots to talk about.? ?Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW?Endearing and satisfying.? ?The Wall Street JournalIn a wor
Only the King of Little Things stands between King Normous and his goal of conquering the world in this lively, humorous fable about bullies and power.
? ?Adults and children who read this delightful and imaginative book together will find lots to talk about.? ?Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
?Endearing and satisfying.? ?The Wall Street Journal
In a world of vast kingdoms lives a king who is happy and content to reign over all things small. Not so King Normous. He wants to be Ruler of All the World.
After having erased every empire and raided every realm, Normous is enraged to learn that the King of Little Things still rules over his tiny kingdom. He sends his army to defeat this upstart, but he finds he cannot outfight or outwit a king who holds sway over the small things of the world. After all, it is the small things that keep the big things going.
Nationally renowned storyteller Bil Lepp celebrates the beauty of all things small as a domineering bully is brought down to size. His witty story, full of wordplay and alliteration, pairs beautifully with David T. Wenzel?s charming watercolor paintings that evoke medieval imagery and amusing details.
Awards:
PEN/Steven Kroll Award for Picture Book Writing ?PEN America
Irma Simonton and James H. Black Award for the Best Picture Book of the Year (Finalist) ?Bank Street College of Education
Parents? Choice Gold Award ?Parents? Choice Foundation
Best Children?s Books of the Year ?Bank Street College of Education
?Small, Lepp clearly feels, is beautiful. Yet the story doesn?t pall. Lepp revels in exploring the many ways the King of Little Things? insignificant but loyal subjects serve him? Wenzel delivers Mad magazine-style spreads of medieval feasts, battles, capes, and crowns. Brainy wordplay abounds, and a scavenger hunt is included, too. Lepp affirms living simply without sounding smarmy, and Wenzel offers a king whose underpants fall off. What?s not to like??
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?The tale moves briskly, with high drama and gentle humor, and allows readers to find the moral naturally. Wenzel?s watercolor illustrations are in perfect harmony with the text, in both detail and tone. Endpapers depict an assortment of small things that can be found within the illustrations, encouraging further examination. Adults and children who read this delightful and imaginative book together will find lots to talk about.?
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?Wenzel?s watercolor illustrations present a medieval world of turreted castles, banquet tables laden with food, and raiding soldiers. There are plenty of humorous details such as nails that spring from doors and buttons that pop from suspenders. The witty writing enlivens this fable about appreciating the small things in life.?
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