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Small, Medium & Large
It is the season of Christmas, and that means it is time to trim the tree, decorate the halls, and, most importantly of all, write to Santa with a heartfelt wish for the perfect present. While other children may be dreaming of new toys under the tree or stockings filled with treats, one little girl simply asks Santa for a friend to share her holiday. But this is a pretty tall order for the jolly old man. Can Santa make her Christmas wish come true? Readers of all ages will be cheered to see that Santa manages to find not just the perfect present, but three special gifts. Charming artwork brings to life the joy felt in making snow angels, the satisfaction of a rousing snowball fight, the pleasure of baking holiday cookies, and finally, the inner peace one feels sitting quietly in front of a warm fire - all the more special when done with a new friend. Jane Monroe Donovan has illustrated numerous titles for Sleeping Bear Press, including Black Beauty's Early Days in the Meadow; the bestselling Winter's Gift; and all of the "Likes to Say" books. Jane makes her home in Pinckney, Michigan.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
2 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
May 31, 2017
To see this week's wordless picture books please visit www.readrantrockandroll.com
Small Medium & Large is a children’s wordless picture book which tells the story in pictures of a child’s Christmas.
A little girl begins to prepare her home for Christmas and writes a letter to Santa stating that she doesn’t need toys this year. When Christmas morning comes, she’s surprised to see three special gifts around the tree for her. These gifts become her best friends and together they share a winter that creates everlasting memories.
We absolutely loved this book. The pictures were realistic. The gifts in the story were inspired by real life animals that at one time belonged to the author. We admired reading about these real animals in the back of the book and learning their real names. We were also very surprised when we took a look at the back cover and saw one of our favorite Christmas books of all time, Winter’s Gift. We didn’t even realize that it was written by the same author. This is one that will surely be added to our Christmas collection.
5*****
Small Medium & Large is a children’s wordless picture book which tells the story in pictures of a child’s Christmas.
A little girl begins to prepare her home for Christmas and writes a letter to Santa stating that she doesn’t need toys this year. When Christmas morning comes, she’s surprised to see three special gifts around the tree for her. These gifts become her best friends and together they share a winter that creates everlasting memories.
We absolutely loved this book. The pictures were realistic. The gifts in the story were inspired by real life animals that at one time belonged to the author. We admired reading about these real animals in the back of the book and learning their real names. We were also very surprised when we took a look at the back cover and saw one of our favorite Christmas books of all time, Winter’s Gift. We didn’t even realize that it was written by the same author. This is one that will surely be added to our Christmas collection.
5*****
January 23, 2021
Picture-book author/artist Jane Monroe Donovan, whose
Winter's Gift
was such a poignant, magical tale, returns with this second Christmas story, this time told almost exclusively through the illustrations. A young girl writes a letter to Santa - the only text in the book - asking for a friend, and wakes up Christmas morning to find a cat, dog and miniature pony waiting for her under the tree. Together, girl and animals have fun in the snow: sledding, making snow angels, building snowmen (and snow animals) and having snowball fights. When they return home, they enjoy the cozy comforts of a warm house...
According to the author's note at the end of the book, complete with photographs, Small, Medium & Large was inspired by a real-life cat, dog and miniature horse that Donovan had as animal companions over the years. That knowledge certainly made the story more meaningful, and although there were moments where I had to struggle a bit to suspend my disbelief - would a dog, cat and horse all fit on the girl's bed? Does one really sleep with a horse, even a miniature one?! - I still enjoyed the book. The illustrations are just lovely, and really make the story come alive. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for somewhat unusual Christmas stories and/or wordless narratives.
According to the author's note at the end of the book, complete with photographs, Small, Medium & Large was inspired by a real-life cat, dog and miniature horse that Donovan had as animal companions over the years. That knowledge certainly made the story more meaningful, and although there were moments where I had to struggle a bit to suspend my disbelief - would a dog, cat and horse all fit on the girl's bed? Does one really sleep with a horse, even a miniature one?! - I still enjoyed the book. The illustrations are just lovely, and really make the story come alive. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for somewhat unusual Christmas stories and/or wordless narratives.
December 7, 2016
Very interesting concept of having no words and only pictures. My students enjoyed the different take on this book.
December 2, 2010
Terrific new Christmas book with whimsical illustrations and a sweet, simple story.
December 18, 2019
Even though theres no words it was really a good story.
December 15, 2021
Animals should NEVER be Christmas presents! The adoption of an animal is a serious responsibility, a decision to be made by the entire family. It is not a pretty gift, a disposable item, something to be enjoyed and then out grown. And the chaos of the holidays is not a time to adopt animals.
November 20, 2017
Pets can bring joy all year long
December 15, 2017
Very sweet, wordless picture book with nice art and a fun premise.
October 27, 2018
Small, Medium, & Large is a charming book of few words but beautiful illustrations that tell the story in your imagination ... and heart.
Well done!
Well done!
December 12, 2018
A delightful wordless book.
May 10, 2020
so fun, i mean have you ever seen a horse or dog snow person?? well done. what fun. creative and fun illustrations. very cool.
November 5, 2020
Very cute wordless book.
January 7, 2021
Neat story! Very accessible.
March 8, 2021
cute book!
December 14, 2023
Adorable wordless picture book. The illustrations are fantastic and lots of detail. A heartwarming story and great for the holiday season.
December 19, 2024
Another dreamy wordless picture book with beautiful art
November 21, 2025
There are no words but it was so darling I gave it four stars anyway.
March 18, 2017
The illustrations are beautiful, but I am not fond of books that promote giving animals as presents. Too often these kinds of Christmast/birthday gifts are enjoyed and taken care of for a week or so, and then the fun wears off. So many animals are abandoned/abused in the weeks following Christmas. Don't put the idea in kids' heads that this is a good idea.
February 28, 2014
Wordless Book
Text-to-Self: This book brought me back to my childhood again. When I was growing up, I lived on a farm and would spend all day long outside with the different animals. I would talk to the animals, let them follow me, and I would play with the ones that could be played with (cats and dogs). This is essentially what happened in the story as well with the girl: She received a cat, dog, and a horse for Christmas and those three animals became her best friends. She played outside with them in the snow, make food with them, and even slept in the same bed together. Though I didn't let any of the animals sleep with me, I cherished my time with those animals each day.
Text-to-Text: I found this book to be somewhat similar to Clifford. In Clifford, Emily's best friend is her dog just as this girl's best friends are the three animals together. Both of these books show the friendship that is developed within the characters and how the animals have an impact on children. Sometimes children aren't able to make the necessary people friends that they need. However, they have the ability to become best friends with animals which will allow them to broaden their skills in making people friends in the future.
Text-to-World: This book can be so easily related to society and to the world. Simply put, animals are sometimes humans' best friends (and in certain cases, their only friends). I understood this book in the sense that animals will never leave your side no matter what activity you are wanting to do. Not only with they not leave your side, but they are wanting to actively participate with you and have fun. This book could also be related to society in the sense that everyone will always have that special friend, whether it be an animal or a person, who will always want to be with you and enjoy simply being in your presence.
Text-to-Self: This book brought me back to my childhood again. When I was growing up, I lived on a farm and would spend all day long outside with the different animals. I would talk to the animals, let them follow me, and I would play with the ones that could be played with (cats and dogs). This is essentially what happened in the story as well with the girl: She received a cat, dog, and a horse for Christmas and those three animals became her best friends. She played outside with them in the snow, make food with them, and even slept in the same bed together. Though I didn't let any of the animals sleep with me, I cherished my time with those animals each day.
Text-to-Text: I found this book to be somewhat similar to Clifford. In Clifford, Emily's best friend is her dog just as this girl's best friends are the three animals together. Both of these books show the friendship that is developed within the characters and how the animals have an impact on children. Sometimes children aren't able to make the necessary people friends that they need. However, they have the ability to become best friends with animals which will allow them to broaden their skills in making people friends in the future.
Text-to-World: This book can be so easily related to society and to the world. Simply put, animals are sometimes humans' best friends (and in certain cases, their only friends). I understood this book in the sense that animals will never leave your side no matter what activity you are wanting to do. Not only with they not leave your side, but they are wanting to actively participate with you and have fun. This book could also be related to society in the sense that everyone will always have that special friend, whether it be an animal or a person, who will always want to be with you and enjoy simply being in your presence.
February 24, 2014
Text-to-self: I remember when I was young and I didn't have a whole lot of friends. In the book the little girl asks Santa for new friends instead of toys. He brings her a dog, cat, and a horse to be her friends. This reminds me of when I didn't have a whole lot of people, but I did have a dog and he was my everything. It is so amazing how much comfort an animal can bring in ones life.
Text-to-text: This book reminds me of The Christmas Shoes. They are both about children who don't want a whole lot, but what they do want is reasonable. They are not desperate spoiled children, but are grateful for what they can have.
Text-to-world: I think that this story is true for so many children. For starters most children write Santa letters every year for Christmas. Secondly a lot of children have pets as friends. They will never be mad at you and they are someone you can always rely on to listen to you.
Text-to-text: This book reminds me of The Christmas Shoes. They are both about children who don't want a whole lot, but what they do want is reasonable. They are not desperate spoiled children, but are grateful for what they can have.
Text-to-world: I think that this story is true for so many children. For starters most children write Santa letters every year for Christmas. Secondly a lot of children have pets as friends. They will never be mad at you and they are someone you can always rely on to listen to you.
December 6, 2011
This is a charmingly illustrated book, about a young and lonely girl who only wants - and gets - best friends for Christmas. These friends take the form of a cat (small), dog (medium), and miniature horse (large). We see her write a lovely letter to Santa, open packages on Christmas day, and then spend a delightful day with her new friends - a day described only in beautiful pictures. Today's storytime audience enjoyed the pictures and even helped me fill in the details of the story. I was very pleasantly surprised at the level of interaction and the enthusiastic response of my audience to this book. They all loved the last page, where the girl writes a thank you note to Santa and asks for gifts for her new friends.
November 9, 2013
A girl writes to Santa, saying that she hopes he can find her new house but that she doesn't need any new toys. She wakes up on Christmas morning to three boxes -- small, medium, and large. Her new friends area a Siamese cat, chocolate lab, and miniature pony. The four spend the day playing and becoming fast friends. At the end, the girl writes a thank you note to Santa and asks for toys for the animals.
A sweet and fun story, I like that the girl has adventures with her friends and remembers to thank Santa. Recommended for preschool through grade 1, I suspect parents will particularly appreciate the friends over toys message in this book.
A sweet and fun story, I like that the girl has adventures with her friends and remembers to thank Santa. Recommended for preschool through grade 1, I suspect parents will particularly appreciate the friends over toys message in this book.
January 3, 2011
With the exception of the letters to Santa in the beginning and end of the book, this book is wordless and the story is carried well through warm and expressive illustrations. A little girl moves to a new house and hopes that Santa will find her. He does and leaves 3 boxes on Christmas morning...small, medium and large. Winter adventures are then embarked upon. My audience loved this book and requested a re-read.
November 4, 2010
A sweet, wordless picture book that brings to life a child's Christmas wishes. And what child hasn't wished for a cat, dog or pony to be left under the tree?
A warm, cozy, beautifully illustrated, magical holiday book.
A warm, cozy, beautifully illustrated, magical holiday book.
November 5, 2019
Summary:
A wordless picture book that still spins a fabulous tale of a little girl who sends Santa a letter asking for friends for her new home.
For older students, this would make a great book for them to write their own text to.
A wordless picture book that still spins a fabulous tale of a little girl who sends Santa a letter asking for friends for her new home.
For older students, this would make a great book for them to write their own text to.
March 8, 2011
Adorable! This is a super great book for anyone who loves animals, but a little hard to believe that a child would get a cat AND a dog AND a miniature horse for Christmas. Still, this is why this is fiction.
Read
July 29, 2011a new Christmas book, but wordless. Great pictures. A little girl writes to Santa to say that she has moved and doesn't need any presents. But she gets 3 assorted sized boxes. I love the picture of the girl and her 3 presents on the sled coming down a hill. Great!!
November 26, 2014
Sheer JOY. Everyone will want to "reread" this wordless book every Christmas because it captures all the favorite traditions and activities of the Christmas holiday. It will especially appeal to animal lovers and those who love to frolic in the snow.
February 22, 2016
Small, Medium, Large
Rate 5:
Absolutely adorable book! Even wordless it tells such a cute story. I really liked this book because the gifts seem like the type that every child would ask for on Christmas. And the drawings were amazing. Absolutely loved this book.
Rate 5:
Absolutely adorable book! Even wordless it tells such a cute story. I really liked this book because the gifts seem like the type that every child would ask for on Christmas. And the drawings were amazing. Absolutely loved this book.
October 17, 2010
Awwwww..super cute. It reminds me of Alexandra Day's Carl books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews