Small Things - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1743368720 ISBN 13: 9781743368725

Publisher: Allen Unwin Children s Books

Synopsis

Small Things
CBCA

About this title

About the Author

Mel Tregonning was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1983. A published cartoonist since primary school, at age 16 she began a long-running comic strip in a national magazine. Over the decades, Mel's illustration style grew to encompass surrealism, cyberpunk, Art Nouveau, manga, commercial art and photorealism. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design at Curtin University, during which time her first manga, Toy, was serialised in Xuan Xuan. Mel broke a finger on her drawing hand during a real-life game of Quidditch - which stopped nothing, but was scary for a second. She won the international Illustrators of the Future competition in 2006. She was an in-house illustrator for RIC Publications, and her first short story, 'Night', was published by Gestalt in 2009. Initially inspired by Jim Davis, Charles Schultz and Murray Ball, Mel's influences expanded to include her family and friends, Osamu Tezuka, Studio Ghibli, HR Geiger, Shaun Tan, The Matrix, Muse and Yukito Kishiro. She liked laksa, Baskin and Robbins ice-cream, HBO's Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and really good stand-up comedy. Sadly, Mel passed away in 2014. She is survived by her sister, brother, mother and father - and an incredible body of work.

Review

[O]ne of the most unique picture books I have read in a while....What a powerful message with powerful illustrations....[T]his book is a great starting pointing to help identify anxiety and ensure my son never let the demons win. (Book Time)

This is an important book for pre-teens and young teens that deal with or know someone that deals with anxiety. A must for middle grade school libraries and would be an ideal conversation starter for classrooms. Like The Arrival, Small Things is also a book this bookseller won't forget. (Marmalade Books)

[R]efreshing visibility and validity of childhood pressures accompanied by the equally important realization that no one is alone in their experience... (Kirkus Reviews)

The late Australian artist Tregonning's wordless graphic tale, completed posthumously with help from Shaun Tan, captures the way anxiety can ravage children's lives....Tregonning creates a visual language for the pain of depression and anxiety, and her story may provide a measure of hope to those who might otherwise have given up in despair. (Publishers Weekly)

Small Things...is all at once superbly illustrated, unforgettable, extremely emotionally resonant, beautiful, heartbreaking, and hopeful...I highly, highly recommend this title for readers young and old. (Fab Book Reviews)

Edition details

• Publisher: Allen Unwin Children s Books
• ISBN 10: 1743368720
• ISBN 13: 9781743368725
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English