The Little Guys

February 4, 2019
Caldecott Honor–winner Brosgol brings her marvelous story-making perspective down to the forest floor, home to a band of diminutive creatures with acorn caps, red noses, full-body beards, and stick arms and legs. “Yes, we are small,” the Little Guys explain, ranged on the shore of their tiny island. “But there are a lot of us.” At first, they represent a paragon of cooperative labor. They gather food, standing atop each other to scavenge berries from a shrub (“We can find enough food for all of us”) and burrowing into a fox’s winter stores (“Nothing stops the Little Guys!”). They’re actually quite obnoxious, as readers will start to realize (“None for you! All for us!”). After they hoard a forest’s worth of resources and prepare to snatch a single final berry from the mouth of a songbird, they suffer a noisy downfall. Brosgol introduces an unexpected idea—sometimes, collective power makes bullies out of pipsqueaks—and adds a clever, collaborative resolution. The Little Guys’ faces are all beard, so the story’s emotional arc is conveyed by other creatures’ reactions, along with action lines and big, comic-style lettering. Expertly paced and very funny, this readaloud doesn’t go quite where readers think it will. Ages 3–7.

Starred review from April 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 2-The little guys are mighty, mostly because there are many of them and they work well together. In their determination to prove that they can fend for themselves, they are sometimes discourteous to those with whom they share the forest. Pillaging dens and conquering large animals, the little guys think they have it all, but do they really? Set in a forest teeming with wildlife, this picture book features tiny cartoon creatures with acorn caps who wreak havoc wherever they go while making their collective stronger. There are several messages here: little ones can achieve a lot, much can be accomplished through teamwork, and, most important, a community is bolstered through sharing and kindness. Brosgol's artwork is lively, with detailed facial expressions. The action moves quickly, and the buildup is exciting. Young readers will easily identify the problems in the story and will be contented by the climax and solution. While there is power in numbers, it is better to use that strength for good rather than selfish gain. VERDICT A terrific and engaging read-aloud for early elementary students, and a great discussion starter.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2019
Tiny creatures rampage through a forest collecting food for themselves only to discover that kindness and cooperation trump greed.The plot is simple and the first-person-plural narrative brisk and clever. Irony is evident immediately as the title characters claim to be "the strongest guys in the whole forest" but are shown as tiny dots on a small hummock in a pond. After navigating the pond (and bragging about it) they tromp through the forest, where they pick berries, steal from a variety of animals, and return to their island to pile their loot. All is well until they realize that a little red bird has managed to retain a single berry, which proves to be their downfall (literally). Readers and listeners may wonder why the other animals then offer assistance, but their actions result in a change of heart for the little guys. Brosgol's cartoon-style illustrations, which appear to have been created in watercolor and black pen, infuse enormous personality into her quirky characters. Acorn caps rest atop pale bodies with scalloped bottoms and stick arms and legs. Each has a single orange semicircle below their acorn cap that might be a nose. Forest animals and setting, meanwhile, are recognizably rendered, though exaggerated expressions add to the humor. Despite (or because of?) their hubris, these little guys are oddly charming and seem likely to amuse young listeners while providing an object lesson about community and collaboration. (Picture book. 5-8)

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Starred review from February 15, 2019
Grades 1-3 *Starred Review* Yes, we are small!! But there are a LOT of us!!! In simply drawn cartoon scenes, Caldecott Honor Book author-illustrator Brosgol sends a line of tiny, bearded gnomes, sporting acorn caps over comical Kilroy was here -style noses, through a peaceful forest, stripping the berry bushes and despoiling the larders of chipmunks and other, larger forest creatures. None for you! All for us! Hand it over to the Little Guys! Perched at last atop an immense, tottering pile of plunder, the pirates proudly declare they have everything?moments before an attempt to snatch one last little berry from one last little bird brings the whole stash crashing down into the river. But rather than letting the Little Guys be swept away, their former victims gather to pull them out, demonstrating a generosity of spirit that sparks a profound change of attitude in the shivering mites: We have all we need, and together ?as they stand atop one another's shoulders in the closing picture to feed, rather than rob, a family of nestlings? we are strong. The animals' willingness to forgive the Little Guys their trespasses adds a peacemaking element to this pointed exploration of the notion that collective action without a moral foundation just becomes mob rule.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)