Too Small

Elizabeth Levin is a professor of psychology at Laurentian University.

Brothers Jack and Angus keep complaining to their mother that their new
house is too small. The boys miss their spacious old house with its room
for roughhousing. When their complaints don’t let up, their mother
asks a neighbor for advice. The elderly woman recommends that she bring
their dog inside, and then her dog, and then invite all the family’s
relatives for a visit. But the boys still complain. So the neighbor
recommends that the mother also throw a sleepover party. When the house
turns into sheer chaos and everyone is arguing, the neighbor then tells
the mother it is time for everyone to leave. Once everybody has left and
the house is quiet, it suddenly seems spacious, and the boys are able to
regard it as “home.”

Author/illustrator Ann Blades has illustrated her delightful story with
warm, engaging pictures. Too Small can be used to help young readers
understand that a new situation may not present a problem, depending on
how you look at it. Recommended.