2004-05-21 Read to Your Child to Improve Bonding and Intellect!

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Mr. Small was one of her picks.

My daughter was very small when she was younger, so this book interested her. What exactly did it mean to be small?

Mr. Small is so small that he makes even the smallest child seem like a giant. He is the size of a pin, and lives in a small house under a daisy in Mr. Robinson's garden. A large meal for him is half a pea, one crumb, and a drop of lemonade.

One day, he decided he wanted a job. So he went to see Mr. Robinson. That was difficult because he was so small. When he knocked on the door, Mr. Robinson did not hear him. And Mr. Small could not reach the doorbell. Luckily, the postman came along and rang the doorbell for him. Mr. Robinson almost didn't notice Mr. Small after opening the door.

Mr. Robinson was glad to help Mr. Small find a job, but things didn't work out well at first. Mr. Small fell into the mustard jars while filling them. He kept falling into candy jars while selling candy. He kept getting shut in match boxes while packing them with matches.

Finally, Mr. Robinson found just the right job for Mr. Small . . . and you'll have to read the book to find out what it was. But you'll like the answer.

Overcome your misconceptions about what a small person can do well with this fascinating, imaginative story.