Great biography of diminutive celebrity. Excellent photographs. For more insight into P.T. Barnum, read Candance Fleming's excellent The Great and Only Barnum. ( )

In 1842, when P.T. Barnum traveled to Bridgeport, Connecticut to visit Charles Stratton, little did he know that in hiring the five year old tiny 25 inch, 15 pound child, it would be a tremendously wealthy endeavor for both.

Talking Charles' parents into trusting him to care for the tiny imp, in his usual flair for drama, Barnum billed the five-year old American child as eleven, from Europe and gave Charles the title of General Tom Thumb.

At birth, Charles was a large baby who weighted 9 lbs, 8 oz. When, at six months, he stopped growing his parents became concerned.

Turning a bad situation into a positive outcome, Barnum took General Tom Thumb to is New York City museum and immediately learned that the bright eyed little child had a flair for the stage and a rapport with the audience.

Meeting Kings and Queens in Europe, and Abraham Lincoln in the US, Tom charmed all who encountered him.

Dressed in various costumes, Tom became an immediate success.

Tom Thumb and P.T. Barnum developed a close relationship and when P.T. Barnum's fortunes were lost when his NYC museum burnt to the ground, Tom bailed him out by going on another tour to Europe.

When Barnum hired another small person, Lavinia Warren immediately became an obsession with Tom and he was successful in obtaining her hand in marriage.

Never one to lose and opportunity for stagemanship, Barnum used their wedding as a supreme opportunity to net a very profitable outcome for all.

2,000 guests were invited to a lavish reception at the Metropolitan hotel in NYC. Perched on the top of a grand piano, Lavina and Tom greeted their well-to-do guests.

When Tom died at the age of 45, the world mourned the loss of a man small in stature and large in life. ( )

As posted on Outside of a Dog:

I don't read many juvenile biographies, unless they come highly recommended. Luckily, such was the case with George Sullivan's Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature. It was included on an ALA list of notable books to be discussed at Annual Conference and received a starred review from Booklist. Going in, I didn't know much about Tom Thumb, outside of his involvement with P.T. Barnum, but I was certainly interested to learn more. What I found from Sullivan was a well-researched, detailed and engaging portrait of a man from his early childhood to his young death at the age of forty-five. I was impressed with Sullivan's tactful handling of the touchy topic of "freaks" and their exhibitions, and the sensitivity he gave to Tom's story. The archival portraits and drawings are a wonderful touch, particular the photographs of Tom and Lavinia's famous wedding ceremony. This will make for the second biography for last year that I'm going to be actively pushing into reader's hands (the first being the wonderful Amelia Lost), but with books still left in my pile, hopefully it won't be the last. ( )

This review first appeared on my blog:

http://www.knittingandsundries.com/2011/04/tom-thumb-remarkable-true-story-of-ma...

Here's what I knew of Tom Thumb prior to reading this book: He was a midget who worked for P. T. Barnum.

What I know now: Tom Thumb was a superstar of his time - the nation's first celebrity. He owned a yacht, a stable of horses and carriages, and a magnificent home. He enjoyed rich food and expensive cigars.

He was born in 1838 in Bridgeport, CT, a healthy-sized baby of nine pounds.

When P. T. was introduced to Charles Stratton (later known as Tom Thumb), there were few choices available for people who were different. One could attempt to live a normal life (almost impossible), one could work in a traveling or stationary "freak show", or, in Charles' case, with his parent's permission (and quite natural reluctance on his mother's part), one could be a stage performer.

This is a chronicle of a remarkable man, fluent in both French and Spanish with the help of his tutors, who later became a favorite of Queen Victoria, Louis Philippe of France, and Queen Isabella (then 15) of Spain. A man who later helped pull Barnum from bankruptcy after they had already parted ways. A man who was a good friend and husband. With informative insets and tons of pictures, you'll emerge with a different perception of him, having dispelled any of your pre-conceived notions (mine were that he was taken advantage of, that he was shown as a "freak", that Barnum was nothing but a hustler [which is still partially true].

I very much enjoyed learning more about Charles Stratton and his life; this book would also be excellent for teachers and homeschoolers to have on hand.

QUOTES (from an eGalley; may be different in final version):

At five, Tom, under Barnum's direction, was drinking wine with his meals. At seven, he smoked cigars. By nine, he chewed tobacco. He never had a day of school.

Citation from The Baltimore Sun: "Were he deformed or sickly, we might pity him, but he is so manly, so handsome, so hearty and happy, that we look at him as being from some other sphere."

..more and more he believed his success was due not to the fact of his smallness but to his gifts as a mimic, comedian and actor. ( )

Charles S. Stratton was dubbed Tom Thumb by P.T. Barnum at the age of five and that name stuck with him the rest of his life. This is a biography of Charles Stratton and to some extent that of P.T. Barnum as well. Their two lives became entertwined as Charles became more famous than anyone of the time could have realized. Many people believe he was exploited because of his diminutive size and others say that P.T. Barnum gave him something that he wouldn't have had otherwise, and Mr. Sullivan showed both sides of the story as well as the amazing adventures of Tom Thumb and Company.

I thoroughly enjoyed this biography of a little person growing up in the entertainment business in the 19th century. Mr. Sullivan did an excellent job of sifting through countless documents and pictures and histories and coming up with this chronological book of events that shaped Charles Stratton and those around him. This biography read more like a book of fiction but with all of the accompanying documents and pictures a reader can come away with a clearer picture of the life of Charles S. Stratton. There is quite of bit of the history of P.T. Barnum and his struggles as an entrepreneur of the time and how he 'fooled' most people most of the time. Although this is classified for the middle school grades, I think those younger than 10 should be able to read this without much help and the topic of the book makes it suitable for adults as well. I'd suggest it for anyone who wants another view of the late 19th century or anyone who is curious about Tom Thumb and his life on stage and on display to the entire world.

George Sullivan has written more than 100 nonfiction books and has probably been quoted in more book reports that wikipedia.

I'll have to give this a 7 thumbs up out of 7. A great addition to your family library!

I was given an e-copy of this book from HMH via NetGalley for review. No other compensation was given and I was not required to give a positive review. ( )