HEWITT ANDERSON’S GREAT BIG LIFE

Low on suspense but high on sheer feel-goodness, this Tom Thumb–like original tale will elicit sighs of content from readers and listeners needing a change of pace. Born to adoring, humongous parents, tiny Hewitt sometimes does get lost in his immense bed, or have to dive between the floorboards to avoid a passing broom. Still, not only do the good times far outnumber the chancy ones, but his size comes in downright handy when, for instance, his father carries him up a towering beanstalk, then turns out to be afraid of heights, or his parents lock themselves in the treasure house. Nelson’s burly, monumental, brown-skinned giants positively glow with beneficence, and Nolen writes, as always, with a distinctive mix of humor and formality: Listening to his parents sing “made Hewitt’s liver quiver and tickled his funny bone right down to his shoes.” Here’s proof that, when it comes to heart, physical size isn’t the whole story. (Picture book. 6-8)