Mimi is fed up of being small – she can’t see the desserts on display at the bakery, at school she can only reach the bottom of the blackboard and even the family dog is bigger than she is!

However, she eventually discovers that there are also many advantages to being small. She can find great hiding places, swim in the bath and even play knights while riding around on the dog. And maybe, just maybe, she won’t always be the smallest…

Mimi’s friends and family are all very supportive about her size, and she doesn’t get mocked or bullied. Some might say that the story therefore lacks tension, but personally I found it a welcome relief.

The adorable watercolour illustrations express a huge amount of emotion and humour, with the result that I couldn’t help falling in love with little Mimi.
As someone who was always small for my age, I wish I’d had a book like this one as a child!

#NetGalley #IAmSmall Available October 2, 2018

What child, or for that matter adult, hasn't occasionally felt a bit different? In I Am Small Mimi feels everyone is taller than her, she even wonders if she should have been named Mini instead of Mimi.

Throughout the first of the book, Mimi shows the reader just how small she is in comparison to others. She shares that her feet barely reach the edge of the seat on the school bus, peeking in the display case to choose a yummy dessert is fairly hard when you're short, the blackboard at school is too high, and the catch of the day at the fish market could probably swallow her in one gulp.

Even though her friends try to convince her that there are advantages to being short, Mimi isn't buying it.

"But they just don't get it! I'm frustrated because they can do a lot of stuff that I can't, because I'm so small. Isn't it obvious?"

But one day as she walks home from school with her dad he announces that there's a surprise waiting for her at home. What kid isn't delighted with that special word? Her imagination runs wild. A swimming pool? A hot-air balloon? Maybe even the biggest piece of cake in the world is waiting for her?

Let me give you a hint. The surprise is even smaller than Mimi.
A rewarding ending that can easily lead to discussions.

My Thoughts:
What Concerned Me: Nothing

What I Liked Most: The pen, ink, and watercolor drawings are a nice addition to this sweet story with a gentle message.

Thanks to Kids Can Press for an e-ARC of this picture book. I LOVED this one! Mimi loathes the fact that she is smaller than everyone else she knows. She keeps thinking of all the things she'd be able to do if she was bigger. Then, eventually, she realizes that there are things she can do better because she is smaller than most people. At the end of the story, there's a big icing on the cake of Mimi's story.

This is such a cute book, especially if you have a child who may be smaller than others their age or even physically different from most of their peers. I liked the illustration style and would definitely recommend this book!

I Am Small by Qin Leng is a charming book about a girl named Mimi who is so small she thinks her name should be Mini.
She only sees downfalls of her height even though her friends try to point out the good things.

Great book for children who have issues loving themselves and it shows that it is all in our perspective. What we see as a disadvantage other people see as a good thing.

Simply written so that even the youngest readers can understand the message.
Lovely illustrations.
This is a must read for children to learn at young age that they should appreciate who they are.

Mimi is very small. She is the smallest person in her class, and in her life. It is annoying how many things she can not do because of her size. Even when her friends point out the great things about being small she thinks that they just don’t get it. Until she finds something smaller than herself. My main problem with this book is the ending. Dad has a surprise for Mimi. But the surprise I am sure they would have told her about months ago. Not just now at that moment.

A young girl hates being small, but she learns there are some advantages. This book has great vocab!

Precious story about a girl who hates being the smallest. Happy ending which should bring a smile to even the shortest of kiddos

Wonderful illustrations! It's tough being the smallest kid. The author/illustrator set the right tone for for both text and pictures to to draw the reader into Mimi's world and imagination.

This is a cute story about how Mimi learns to accept the good parts of being small and step into her new role as a "big" sister. Very sweet and the illustrations were lovely.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mimi is so small they should call her Mini. She recounts all the reasons that she thinks make it terrible to be small. Her friends try to tell her all the reasons it's great to be small. Until, she finds someone smaller than she is.

This book is so good for anyone that feels like they are unnoticed or insignificant. It encourages children to learn to love themselves. It's also good for kids who are about to get a new baby at home. This book is adorable with cute illustrations and a great message. I highly recommend it.

I love all picture books and understand that not all storytellers can illustrate their own works, but when the author also illustrates it is absolutely magical. This story is cute about a little girl Mimi who is too small to do anything, her friends try to make her feel better. In the end she does discovers a new BIG title, Big Sister. The illustrations are my favorite thing about this book.

Mimi is so small that she is the smallest in the class. As you can see, in the illustrations below, you can see that she is smaller than her classmates, and has to be in the front when photos are taken.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-755" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screen-Shot-2018-07-18-at-6.54.28-PM.png" alt="I am small" />
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-754" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screen-Shot-2018-07-18-at-6.54.59-PM.png" alt="I am small" />

She laments being small, but her friends point out what her advantages are. That she is first in line to the cafeteria. That she can hide better, at hide and seek. That she gets to be in front when class photos are taken.

And as a short person, you have to take these little things, like that, because that is what life is about..

And the book ends with her discovering that she is larger than her new baby brother. Very cute. Good book to help kids who are the shortest, as I was, and still am.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

A sweet story about Mimi and her struggles with being small. As the story goes on, she realizes some of the benefits of being so little and that being different is so bad after all.

The illustrations are sweet and give the reader/child lots to look at.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Thanks!

<i>I am Small</i> is a sweet picture book about Mimi, a girl who's much smaller than everyone else around her. As a very short person myself, I related. ;) The simple illustrations did a great job of playing along with the text (I stopped several times to spy certain kids or look for background clues the text left out). It's a very simple story that ultimately is about perspective--small has some perks, and also to someone else you're the big one.

I Am Small is such a beautifully illustrated book in soft watercolors and pen and ink. In it we meet Mimi, so short she says she should be called, “Mini.” While she finds many drawbacks to her short stature, luckily her family and friends share the many advantages. One day, Mimi’s father says he has a surprise and, indeed, she is no longer the shortest in her family because she now has a baby brother! 5/5 for beauty and the inspiring message that our differences can often be true blessings.

Thanks to Kids Can Press and NetGalley for the review copy, in exchange for my honest opinions.

A cute little book about Mimi, a little child. And when I say little, I mean little. *lol*

Mimi is the smallest in the family as well as in school and really struggles through daily life because of it. But it's also the general idea of being small and therefore almost invisible (therefore, deeper contemplation of Mimi's and everybody else's existence) that is addressed. Might seem like a small thing (see what I did there?! ;P) but it is bothering Mimi and, I'm sure, many other people. Especially since it reflects many other things, of course, not just physical smallness.

However, just when Mimi is really angry and frustrated and sad, there are advantages to discover about being small as well.

I'm not going to give away all of the book and its story but suffice it to say that there are always two sides to a coin and this little book with its cute watercolour illustrations teaches young and old readers alike that it's OK to be different if you own it and that you can always find a positive side to things.

Our main character is Mimi. Mimi might as well be called Mini for being so small.

Firsty, I'm always a sucker for water colour illustrations, especially cute ones. Secondly, I just want to steal and adopt Mimi. Everyone is taller than Mimi, even the family dog. Mimi is ashamed of being small, and even more afraid of not being noticed.

Mimi longs to be big. I remember my grandmother always telling me how frustrating it was being so small (As an adult, she was about 4'8) and how as a child people treated her differently, almost as if she were a cute little toy and not a little person.

Even food towers over Mimi! Other people tell Mimi why being small is actually an advantage. I think this is a book about accepting yourself as is, and realising that whatever you think is wrong with you, there is always good you can find if you look at it the right way.

There is also a lot of commentary about being frustrated about something other people don't understand, which is something kids really need, I think. They get frustrated at so much that we adults just don't get.

Mimi begins to realising what isn't wrong with being small. And one day, Mimi gets a surprise - a new baby brother. Who is smaller than her!


I like Mimi's tomboy look throughout this so much. I was a tomboy and I felt like I could relate to Mimi more than I could to girls in dresses.

All-in-all, a solid, beautifully illustrated little book with a cute message.

This is such a sweet short read. The illustrations are very cute and they fit in with the story beautifully.

Mimi in "I Am Small" is a very endearing character. She is a little girl who just desperately wants to be big and is frustrated that she can't grow up right away. Little girls who don't enjoy glitter and pink dresses will appreciate Mimi's simple jeans and hoodie but girls who enjoy being fancy will still relate to Mimi's imaginative playing.

As the story progresses Mimi comes to terms with the fact that maybe being small has some perks after all. Highly recommend this book!

I received a copy of "I Am Small" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very sweet story about being small. I might've benefitted from a book like this when I was young (and also the smallest in my classes). I will definitely be using this in our classroom during our unit about differences and diversity.