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Trudi & Pia
Many nights the dwarf girl, Trudi, fell asleep hoping that her body would stretch itself overnight, that she'd wake up and be the size of other girls her age. Trudi doesn't know anybody like her. No one with short arms that can't reach coat hooks, or short legs that dangle in chairs; no one small enough to look into her eyes. No one, that is, until she meets Pia at the circus. Pia is a lion tamer -- strong and fearless and, most important, a dwarf like Trudi. When Pia asks for a volunteer to step into the ring, Trudi doesn't hesitate. And together, they weave tales of a magical island where people are little and never lonely. After the enchantment ends, Pia shares a secret with Feeling that you belong starts with loving yourself. Adapted from Ursula Hegi's best-selling novel Stones from the River -- and perfectly paired with Giselle Potter's poignant illustrations -- this moving story of a girl's search for acceptance captures what it feels like to be different...and then what it feels like to realize that you're not.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2003
About the author
Ursula Hegi
27 books1,121 followersUrsula Hegi is a German-born American writer. She is currently an instructor in the MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton.
She was born Ursula Koch in 1946 in Düsseldorf, Germany, a city that was heavily bombed during World War II. Her perception growing up was that the war was avoided as a topic of discussion despite its evidence everywhere, and The Holocaust was a particularly taboo topic. This had a strong effect on her later writing and her feelings about her German identity.
She left West Germany in 1964, at the age of 18. She moved to the United States in 1965, where she married (becoming Ursula Hegi) in 1967 and became a naturalized citizen the same year. In 1979, she graduated from the University of New Hampshire with both a bachelor's and master's degree. She was divorced in 1984. The same year, she was hired at Eastern Washington University, in Cheney, Washington, near Spokane, Washington, where she became an Associate Professor and taught creative writing and contemporary literature.
Hegi's first books were set in the United States. She set her third, Floating in My Mother's Palm, in the fictional German town of "Burgdorf," using her writing to explore her conflicted feelings about her German heritage. She used the setting for three more books, including her best selling novel Stones from the River, which was chosen for Oprah's Book Club in 1997. Hegi appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on April 8, and her publisher reprinted 1.5 million hardcover copies and 500,000 paperbacks. She subsequently moved from Spokane to New York City.
Hegi's many awards include an NEA Fellowship and five PEN Syndicated Fiction Awards. She won a book award from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) in 1991 for Floating in My Mother's Palm. She has also had two New York Times Notable Book mentions. She has written many book reviews for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post.
She was born Ursula Koch in 1946 in Düsseldorf, Germany, a city that was heavily bombed during World War II. Her perception growing up was that the war was avoided as a topic of discussion despite its evidence everywhere, and The Holocaust was a particularly taboo topic. This had a strong effect on her later writing and her feelings about her German identity.
She left West Germany in 1964, at the age of 18. She moved to the United States in 1965, where she married (becoming Ursula Hegi) in 1967 and became a naturalized citizen the same year. In 1979, she graduated from the University of New Hampshire with both a bachelor's and master's degree. She was divorced in 1984. The same year, she was hired at Eastern Washington University, in Cheney, Washington, near Spokane, Washington, where she became an Associate Professor and taught creative writing and contemporary literature.
Hegi's first books were set in the United States. She set her third, Floating in My Mother's Palm, in the fictional German town of "Burgdorf," using her writing to explore her conflicted feelings about her German heritage. She used the setting for three more books, including her best selling novel Stones from the River, which was chosen for Oprah's Book Club in 1997. Hegi appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on April 8, and her publisher reprinted 1.5 million hardcover copies and 500,000 paperbacks. She subsequently moved from Spokane to New York City.
Hegi's many awards include an NEA Fellowship and five PEN Syndicated Fiction Awards. She won a book award from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) in 1991 for Floating in My Mother's Palm. She has also had two New York Times Notable Book mentions. She has written many book reviews for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 5, 2023
Trudi has something in common with Pia. Both of them are unusually short.
Before meeting Pia, Trudi yearns to be taller, able to look like the other boys and girls.
But then she meets Pia, an adult who works for the circus! Moreover, she works as a lion tamer. And she's not the least bit ashamed of her size.
What does Trudi learn from Pia? Read this lovely book and find out for yourself.
Before meeting Pia, Trudi yearns to be taller, able to look like the other boys and girls.
But then she meets Pia, an adult who works for the circus! Moreover, she works as a lion tamer. And she's not the least bit ashamed of her size.
What does Trudi learn from Pia? Read this lovely book and find out for yourself.
August 17, 2018
A young girl with dwarfism wishes that she could be tall like everyone else she knows. She meets another dwarf woman at the circus and learns to embrace her uniqueness.
This story is adapted from a novel, its seems like an interesting read.
This story is adapted from a novel, its seems like an interesting read.
February 28, 2012
We own this and have enjoyed it immensely over many years.
Such a great book for all children---those who are different and anyone who knows them.
Adults/Teens should check out the text version that this is based on: "Stones From a River". It's about a dwarf girl in Germany right around the time that her Jewish neighbors begin disappearing from the neighborhood. Helps to see how people in a society can not understand what is really happening around them until it is too late.
Such a great book for all children---those who are different and anyone who knows them.
Adults/Teens should check out the text version that this is based on: "Stones From a River". It's about a dwarf girl in Germany right around the time that her Jewish neighbors begin disappearing from the neighborhood. Helps to see how people in a society can not understand what is really happening around them until it is too late.
January 8, 2009
Aimee this is the children's book version of Stones from The River. Casey might enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews