JUST TEENIE
by Susan Meddaugh & illustrated by Susan Meddaugh
Life is about perspective, suggests Meddaugh in this tale of a little girl—a really little girl—who’d not only like to grow up, she’d just like to plain grow. “Teenie” is so small that if she were to fall out of a chair, it might prove fatal. “The whole world doesn’t fit,” she moans. A fortuneteller answers Teenie’s wish to grow by giving her a plant, a plant that grows by leaps and bounds. As the plant bushes out and spirals up, it becomes a bit of a rascal, snatching small things—a watch, a pail, a pair of undies—into its branches. Last to be nabbed is Teenie. From on high, Teenie sees things anew, and her place in the world changes dramatically. She now protects rather than needing protection. Meddaugh’s text and artwork are wonderfully artless: In her hands, a talking dog or a magical walking stick or a girl the size of a cat are all quite natural. It’s just a matter of angle and perspective, like life and the pursuit of happiness. (Picture book. 4-8)