This illustrated children's book is adapted from Hegi's novel, [Stones from the River], and features its protagonist, Trudi, a dwarf trying to come to terms with her otherness. In the novel this takes place in German society, during the rise of Nazi rule and the trauma of WWII. The much abbreviated children's version eliminates all mention of Trudi's family and neighbors, war and politics, and focuses on her personal struggle to be herself in a world seemingly created for bigger people. When she finally meets another "little person", a circus performer named Pia, she learns to accept her "strangeness" as normal, and imagines they both have come from a magical island where everyone is small and beauty is all around. Presumably the point of this book is to let children see differences as gifts, rather than as obstacles. I don't think it works very well. The illustrations look as though they were done by a child with some artistic ability who hasn't learned about perspective yet. Since the story is all about perspective, this seems like a flaw, and the art lacks the primitive charm that could have saved it. It is listed as being for readers from 5 to 9 years of age. I think dwarfism may be too specific a difference to have wide appeal for that age range, and the lesson is too much the point of the story. I'm not going to share this one with my 5-to-9ers. I just don't think they'd care much for it. The presentation doesn't do justice to my memory of the novel, either, although it has been close to 20 years since I read it. ( )

Little people can feel different, this book is great for all children

This is a story about a girl who is insecure about her height but finds a girl similar to her while visiting the circus. At first, I thought the plot was a little strange and not a usual picture book topic. But, children would definitely find a connection to it in some way. The illustrations are crooked and a little wacky but it adds to the different height theme of the book. ( )

This story is about a dwarf who feels there is no one else out there like her. She goes to the circus one day and is amazed to see another dwarf like her. She talks to Pia the other dwarf about feeling alone and wanting to know if there are other girls and boys like her. This is a great story for children to read if they don't feel accepted for who they are and even a good way to get kids to know that people have feelings whoever they are. ( )

Trudi is a dwarf and she doesn't think there's anyone else like her. She went to a circus and an animal trainer by the name of Pia asked for a volunteer, Trudi volunteers. Pia is also a dwarf and Trudi feels much better that she has found someone else like her.Pia tells Trudi that she shouldn't be ashame of her appearance, and she shouldn't worry about what other people think. ( )