Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Nina's Book of Little Things
For ages 6 to 8
Big Picture Press, 2013 ISBN: 978-0763668938
In 1988 a little girl called Mina was given a very special present on her seventh birthday. The artist, Keith Haring, gave her a book for the “little things” that Mina found, collected, made, drew, was given, and wanted to save. It was a place where she could keep “little things that are special to you.” In Keith’s instructions at the beginning of book he reminded Mina that “little things are sometimes the best things of all.” Now children can have their own copy of Mina’s book and celebrate their own favorite little things.
What makes this book unique is that it offers prompts on every page, things like: “Glue or tape pictures of little friends, or little pictures of big friends, or drawings of little friends, or drawings of big friends cut out and made little…” There are so many possibilities! On another page the artist tells us that he has made a mess on the page, which he has, and he invites us to “finish it” and to “turn my mess into a little story.”
Among other things there is a page for stickers, a page for a snowflake collection, a page for things that could go in a big blue purse, and a page for the little things that “the rabbit found at the top of the ladder.” On this page we see a picture of a rather anxious rabbit who is about to climb an orange ladder.
This book is a must for everyone who loves to collect, draw, collage, quote, stickerize, cut pictures out of magazines, and so on. It is the perfect thing to carry around, and the perfect thing to work on when it rains, or snows, or when one is sick, or when one is on a train, or on plane, or in a car, or….
