The King of the Little Things
by Bil Lepp (Author) David T Wenzel (Illustrator)
Only the King of Little Things stands between King Normous and his goal of conquering the world. And little things can wield great power.
In a world of vast kingdoms lives a king who is happy and content to reign over all things small. Not so King Normous. He wants to be Ruler of All the World. After having erased every empire and raided every realm, Normous is enraged to learn that the King of Little Things still rules over his tiny kingdom.
He sends his army to defeat this upstart, but he finds he cannot outfight or outwit a king who holds sway over the small things of the world. After all, it is the small things that keep the big things going.
Bil Lepp's imaginative tale of the beauty and importance of all things small is perfectly paired with illustrator David T. Wenzel's bright watercolor paintings.
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Publishers Weekly
It's hard to miss the point of this fable about the kindly King of Little Things (who had "everything he needed, and didn't want for more") and his victimization by the ambitious and obnoxious King Normous. Small, Lepp clearly feels, is beautiful. Yet the story doesn't pall. Lepp revels in exploring the many ways the King of Little Things' insignificant but loyal subjects serve him, offering help in an early skirmish ("the soldiers found mealworms in their bread, chiggers in their underpants, and fungus between their toes"), then comforting him with crumbs and seeds after he is imprisoned. When the King of Little Things decides he's had enough, he sends out a plea for all little things to strike: "Boats listed. Words twisted. Lights unlit. Scarves unknit. And every little thing, everywhere, refused to work." Wenzel delivers Mad magazine-style spreads of medieval feasts, battles, capes, and crowns. Brainy wordplay abounds, and a scavenger hunt is included, too. Lepp affirms living simply without sounding smarmy, and Wenzel offers a king whose underpants fall off. What's not to like? Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2--The King of Little Things kindly rules over everything small, from "coins, candles, combs, keys" to "barnacles, bats and fried bologna." Content in his kingdom, he "had everything he needed and didn't want for more." His nemesis and antithesis, greedy King Normous, is intent on conquering the tiny empire and presumes an easy victory. The King of Little Things's eclectic subjects come to the rescue and thwart Normous's armies ("the soldiers found mealworms in their bread, chiggers in their underpants, and fungus between their toes") and stage a worldwide revolt ("Lights unlit. Scarves unknit. And every little thing, everywhere, REFUSED TO WORK"). Wenzel's watercolor illustrations present a medieval world of turreted castles, banquet tables laden with food, and raiding soldiers. There are plenty of humorous details such as nails that spring from doors and buttons that pop from suspenders. The witty writing enlivens this fable about appreciating the small things in life.--Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV034000 - Juvenile Fiction | Royalty (kings queens princes princesses knights etc.)
Kings, queens, rulers, etc
Kings and rulers
Size
Body size
Size perception
