Trudi & Pia (Anne Schwartz Books)
Grade 1-3-Trudi, a dwarf, feels lonely and isolated. She dreams of growing and during the day tries to stretch herself by hanging from door frames and tree limbs. At the circus, she meets Pia, an animal tamer and a dwarf like herself. She volunteers to join her new friend in the ring, and together they tell a story about a wonderful, magical island where only little people live. When Trudi visits the woman in her trailer, Pia talks to her about feeling linked to all the other dwarfs scattered throughout the world, and gives her some practical advice for dealing with the people who surround her. Adapted from Hegi's adult novel Stones from the River (Scribner, 1995), the story is well written and contains some dramatically effective imagery. Hegi creates a great deal of empathy for her characters, marred slightly by the fact that they in turn mock the "big" people: "To Pia, long arms were ugly, long legs unsteady. Tall people looked odd, too far from the ground." It is also unfortunate that the only other dwarf Trudi encounters is a circus performer, reinforcing an old stereotype of where people with non-mainstream physical traits end up. For the most part, however, this sensitive story deals with a subject not frequently found in books for this audience. Potter's signature gouache illustrations have their usual quirky appeal and blend well with the tale.Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.