My Little One
by Germano Zullo
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Pub Date Oct 27 2020 | Archive Date Sep 24 2020
Archipelago | Elsewhere Editions
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Description
A mother, welcoming her tiny son into the world, tells him the story of their lives, whispering to him as she swings him gently around. With each successive page, he grows while she shrinks, until she is being held by the man he has become. Albertine's weightless strokes and billowing bodies recall the flitting procession of a flipbook or an ephermeral notebook sketch. She choreographs the peculiar dance of aging, of the way our bodies fold, lean, tuck into one another as we grow old. Filled with poetry and questioning, Germano whittles his words down - each precise line reminds us of the pithy goodness of childhood. An eloquent portrait of life's waxing and waning, My Little One is a moving celebration of constant, unconditional love.
Advance Praise
"The parent becomes the child in this sparsely worded French import. The illustrations, done by 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award winner Albertine, rest in copious white space. They are spare, delicate line drawings in what appear to be pencil . . . The sense of movement on static pages is compelling—all in the form of fine, simple lines and dynamic page turns. This elegant story . . . provides food for thought for more-contemplative children . . . A playful and poignant take on parenthood." -- Kirkus Reviews
"This is a book about love, the passing of time, and the cycle of our lives. It is also about relationships. Slowly, page after page, the black pencil illustrations on milky white paper tell a restrained, eloquently poetic universal story." - The Bologna Ragazzi Award Jury
"In the stories created by the creative couple, the relationship between the text and image is so perfectly controlled and the articulation between the two crafts is seamless. The reading rhythm makes room for moments of silence, a dreamlike and reflexive pause before turning the next page...The mastery of the illustration takes the readers elsewhere: a place where they can indulge in a plethora of emotions and feelings that are exacerbated by inspired narration" - 2018 Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury
"Where sober or eccentric, low key or outlandish, the worlds of Albertine are always elegant...she mingles reality and fantasy, the trivial and the sublime, dream and memory." - 2018 Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury
"My Little One surpasses all the others. The book is a lake of pure emotion, the story of a life, of two lives, more precisely, of a mother and a son, revolving in time. Making us laugh and cry with each image, and ask: How is it possible to express so much with the tip of a pencil?" — Marine Landrot, Télérama
"Occasionally, there are drawings that are stronger than words. That is the case with this small book that tells the story of a life. A mother, a child, and the time that passes... Deeply moving! (For all ages.)" — Astrapi
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781939810663 |
| PRICE | $24.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 80 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Andrea P, Reviewer
My Little One by Germano Zullo is a moving story that is striking in its simplicity. Told through a series of pencil sketches, the journey of a mother and son relationship unfolds over a number of years. As the child grows, the mother's physical stature diminishes, a visual enactment of the circle of life.
I found that this book resonated quite strongly with me, and it will certainly strike a chord with anyone who has experienced the role reversal that comes about as a parent ages. I believe that this story will hold more meaning for adults than children, providing food for thought about the circle of life of which we are inevitably a part.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Steerforth Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Marte O, Educator
This is such a wonderful book, and I am so glad that it has now been translated into English! It is very simple, but still extremely powerful to read. It really illustrates the way our lives go in circles from birth to death. I did not expect to be so moved by this book, but the simple text together with the illustrations just really moved me nearly to tears! I would recommend this wholeheartedly to everyone!
Dita D, Reviewer
My heart just exploded into 10,000 pieces!
Sweetest circle of life story ever, told mostly through illustrations.
Short, sweet, moving!
My heart!
Thank you to Germano Zullo, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Educator 557441
This is a beautiful book illustrated with the simplest line drawings. Very limited text, a heartbreaker of a read, especially for parents, but also for adult children. It’s so simple in its premise, yet delivers so much. The mother loves her child as he grows older and bigger, until she is the small one and he is the man-sized adult.
thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review
catherine h, Reviewer
Oh, My, what a beautiful story! Would make a wonderful book for a new parent. They could share it with the little until it was old enough for it's own stories and then pass it over to them when they become parents. Where, oh, where was this book when me and my friends were having our children? I loved the simplicity of the text. It's left open like most welcome to the new baby moments in real life (it's complicated... and simple!) The illustrations were breath-taking in their simplicity! Just lovely! I suppose I will have to buy a few copies of this book to pass out to grandchildren as they begin the next generation...
Librarian 607967
What an emotional, lovely little book. Will be happy to gift this to new parents and recommend it to existing parents in the library.
aysha i, Reviewer
Oh such simple but beautiful little book about a love of a mother and her child.How mother start their journey with children and tell the story of their lives together,how time shrinks the mothers and children just grow up and then mothers just vanish.I am not crying.
Emily H, Media/Journalist
"My Little One" by Germano Zullo is a cute, quick read about a mother and son and their shared stories. The overall message conveyed through the visuals of the book was stunning while the captions were short. The succinct story and the simplicity of the images left a profound impact on the overall meaning of the story and how a mother's story can live on within her son. A really quick read that would make a perfect gift.
Reading T, Reviewer
First of all, do not expect a whole written story from the book. This is one of those illustrated sequential art kind of short depictions which dwell on making the ones who are flipping the pages think of life in general.
Yes, expect a short book which when you flip the pages fast will tell you how the two characters change from parent to child and then child to the parent. Meaning the child growing up and the parent getting older and finally going through life's inevitable process.
Love the art.
Love the concept.
Kudos to the team.
Hats off to the artist!
Thanks NetGalley for the copy.
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