Barbara Worton

Reviewed by Jaglvr for Kids @ TeensReadToo.com

Alice is FOUR INCHES (!) taller than the other 8-year-old girls in her class. She is stuck standing in the back row with boys in the class picture.

She overhears her parents one night comparing her to a toothpick, a bean pole, and even a string bean with their neighbors. She cries to herself when she hears the talk going on downstairs. What she fails to pick up is that her parents friends' offer up ideas for future professions for Alice if she remains taller than others.

Alice cries herself to sleep and dreams of a room with girls that are much taller than she is. Some are supermodels. Some are basketball stars. All are incredibly tall.

One of the basketball players puts Alice on her shoulders and Alice can see all around her. She glimpses the past and the future. She sees her family and friends. But sadly, she can't see herself. The basketball player helps explain to Alice how she can find herself.

Slowly Alice comes to realize that being four inches taller than the other girls now isn't such a big deal. She appreciates that she is just right for herself. And she can be anything she wants to be!

TOO TALL ALICE is a wonderful book to help kids learn to like themselves for who they are. Told with bold illustrations and crazy background drawings, Alice struggles with being the stand-out girl in her class. As Alice comes to realize she's okay just as she is, she awakens to a new, beautiful day.

What a wonderful ending to the story!… (plus d'informations)

Eight year old Alice is four inches taller than any of the other girls in her class at Cherry Tree School.

Barbara Worton writes with a keen understanding of how it feels to be different. Alice begins the story with self-doubt and an intense discomfort with her height. Through a dream, Alice learns to accept herself just as she is and decides that she can do and be anything she wants. Too Tall Alice offers children who are struggling with self image a wonderful lesson of acceptance without forcing it on them.

Dom Rodi enhances the story with a variety of illustrations, large and small. The page layouts are varied with the text interspersed with the illustrations in a fashion that keeps the eyes moving. The emotions described in the text play clearly across Alice's face. Even the text itself seems to offer a personality as the font mimics handwriting and some of the words vary in size.

Too Tall Alice is an engaging story with a great message.… (plus d'informations)

When I was offered this book the Bostick I just had to request it. I am 5'10 so I can totally relate to usually being the tallest female around. Too Tall Alice is the story of eight year old Alice who feels like a freak because she is four inches taller than all the other girls in her school. One night, Alice dreams about meeting a bunch of other girls who are even taller than she is. The girls are all tall enough to be super models and basketball players. One of these girls teaching Alice a lesson about finding herself and Alice realizes that she doesn't have to let those extra four inches define who she is. Alice can be anything she wants to be. Too Tall Alice sends a great message to kids and they do not have to be tall to understand it. I would definitely recommend reading this to children to help them half better self-esteem. I also really loved the illustrations. My favorite illustrations were on the first few pages when Alice was feeling badly because she has to stand in the back row with the boys for school photos. I had the same things happen to me over and over again throughout my school years. I wish that there had been a book back than like this one for me to read!… (plus d'informations)

I connected with this book. Like the protagonist, I was so tall that on class picture day, the teacher actually made me stand in the back row with the boys. To make matters worse, the boy who I had a crush on was a full head shorter than I, and the teacher put me next to him, accentuating the problem. I understand that humiliation. Unlike me, Alice has a lovely dream where she sees her future as one of promise. How I wish I had this book to read that day.

This beautifully illustrated book will speak to the tall girls, along with the child who is short, and all of the others who are different. We need to learn to accept ourselves and celebrate our unique qualities--just like Alice does. The fanciful story is uplifting, and the illustrations are the best I've seen. I can see classroom teachers using this book to teach a lesson on self-esteem and acceptance of others. It's a good one!… (plus d'informations)