Table of Contents
REAL-LIFE LITTLE PEOPLE
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In Lisa Graff’s The Thing About Georgie (HarperCollins, 2008), Georgie’s thing is height. He’s a little person – a dwarf – and, at nine years old, can’t expect to grow much more than his present height of three and a half feet. Each chapter begins with a hand-printed account of what life is like as a dwarf, with a helpful interactive component: try stretching your right arm over your head to touch your left ear, for example (Georgie can’t); or do some measuring to see if you could reach the light switch or the bathroom faucet if you were only 42 inches tall. Along with his height, Georgie also has to cope with all the problems that come with being a fourth-grade boy: best friend trouble, mean classmate Jeanie, and the fact that his mother is expecting a new (non-dwarf) baby. Touching, funny, and informative. For ages 8-12. |
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In Holly Goldberg Sloan’s Short (Dial Books, 2017), Julia – who is very short for her age – is cast as a Munchkin in a performance of The Wizard of Oz and finds role models in fellow cast member Olive, an adult with dwarfism, and creative neighbor Mrs. Chang. A story of self discovery for ages 8-12. |
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George Sullivan’s Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature is a 200-page biography of Charles Stratton – dubbed “General Tom Thumb” by P.T. Barnum – who, as an adult, was just under three feet tall. The book is illustrated with period photographs and prints. For ages 10 and up.
Sullivan’s book touches on the question of the exploitation of the different – though in Charles/Tom’s case, small size seems to have been an advantage, leading to fame and (since Stratton was good with money) fortune. (Late in life, when P.T. Barnum was strapped for cash, Stratton bailed him out.) |
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Nick Page’s Lord Minimus (St. Martin’s Press, 2002) is the story of Jeffrey Hudson, Britain’s smallest man, who served as official dwarf at the court of King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria. For teens and adults. |
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