Too Tall Alice

By Barbara Worton and Dom Rodi

Alice is tall. Not T-Rex or Empire State Building tall. Just four inches taller than the other eight-year-old girls at her school. Her mom says she's tall. Her dad says she's tall. But Alice is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0979066115
• ISBN13: 9780979066115
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Great Little Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 10.2" x 10.1"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

"Trying so hard to be a princess"

Eight-year-old girls don't like being four inches taller than all the other girls -- if you don't believe that, ask Alice. She's tall -- "not T-Rex, Empire State Building tall" -- just that extra four inches. Crying herself to sleep, she drifts away on her fluffy bed "to the place where the TALL girls lived." After the tall girls explain life's possibilities to her, "Alice watched and listened and like a movie on a screen her heart told her the story of all the wonderful things she was and all the wonderful things she could be." While Too Tall Alice could have been just another charming "you are special" book, the whimsical humor and stunning illustrations lift it to a totally different level. There are no stereotypes, for one thing. Yes, author Barbara Worton mentions supermodels and basketball players, but she also mentions doctors, class presidents, good friends, and teachers. The message applies, of course, to any child who worries about being different -- and what child doesn't? Celebrate your differences and the possibilities they bring! You will also enjoy the details of Alice's school and family. Alice feels like a very real little girl. Oh, and the illustrations! Graphic designer Dom Rodi has filled each page with sprawling, colorful drawings embellished with sly little treasures; check the cover art for a sample. The portraits, the adults playing cards, the snaggle-toothed fish, the class picture with somebody making rabbit ears, the annotations threaded in among the drawings ... wonderful Alice with her scribbly blonde hair ... prepare to give this book some time because it's a treasure trove of imagination. My granddaughters are going to love it! They may not be too tall, but they'll understand the message anyhow. Linda Bulger, 2009

A Fine Boost for a Child's Self Perception

Writer/teacher Barbara Worton with the very excellent collaboration by illustrator Dom Rodi present a book that is not only a pleasure to read and enjoy the artwork, but it is also a fine adjunct for parents and teachers (and all of us) in aiding children (and adults) who are 'different'. The difference in TOO TALL ALICE is of course height, but the reader can substitute any variation in body habitus or personality for the chosen `difference' of this story. Alice is four inches taller than the 'average' eight-year-old girl in her class at Cherry Tree School, a fact that makes her self-conscious and feel like a misfit. In her presence her parents reinforce her self worth and encourage her. But one night, lying in bed, she overhears conversations among her parent and friends downstairs that suggest she is a `beanpole, a toothpick' etc and she sadly falls asleep to a dream that she is transported to a house full of tall girls who are athletes, models, and actresses. They encourage Alice saying that she needs to look inside herself to find who she truly is, not just depend on the input from those around her. Her confidence regained, Alice awakens to a world full of possibilities and she can be grateful she is unique. Accompanying this well written story are drawings by Dom Rodi that capture the confusion of Alice's initial misconceptions and her subsequent feelings of grand potential. The story plays well, reads well, and is a visual as well as a philosophical delight. This book should fill a void for parents, teachers and friends fortunate enough to know a `special person' like Alice! Grady Harp, February 09

Great Illustrations

Barbara Worton has written an exciting children's book titled "Too Tall Alice." "Too Tall Alice" is an excellent book with big, colorful, cutting edge illustration. The book is about a girl who is taller than the other girls in her class. The pictures in the book are so bright and exciting that any elementary school teacher would love to have this book available in their classroom for story time. Alice struggles back and forth with the awkwardness of being tall and she eventually realizes that there is nothing wrong with being tall, heck even supermodels are tall. "Too Tall Alice" is a book that young readers will enjoy. The book features an adequate amount of text. It's not a short read. "Too Tall Alice" can be read to a class during a story time session or during library story time. Teachers may want to break up the reading of the book into two class sessions. "Too Tall Alice" is a great book. Boys and girls will enjoy this book and parents will be pleased with this book. The theme is great and the illustrations are awesome.

A gentle inoculation against the dread "disease" of perceived physical inadequacy

In her mind, Alice is too tall for her age. A mere four inches taller than the other girls in her class, she has magnified it into a major disfigurement. One night when she was in her bed and the neighborhood parents were downstairs playing cards, she could hear them talking about her. Her father called her a string bean, a beanpole, a twig and a long drink of water. Another parent mentioned the thinness of supermodels and this conversation made Alice break out in tears. All she wanted was to be the same height as the other girls in her class and she eventually cried herself to sleep. Fortunately, her trip to dreamland that night was a good one. Alice found herself on the street where tall girls lived and so she was now the shortest one in the neighborhood. This gave her a new perspective on things so she put on her circled-finger binoculars and looked into the future. What she saw was a girl that was just the right height for Alice and that her future prospects could be whatever she wanted them to be. When Alice woke up the next morning she now understood that she would have a very beautiful day. As an adult with three teen girls in my house, I occasionally hear the talk about physical inadequacy and once it becomes part of the mindset, it is a tough affliction to heal. This book was written for the girl in the late elementary years, a time when girls begin to catch this dread "disease." The gentle tone of the presentation will aid some of them in developing immunity.

Teaching YOU Are Perfect Just The Way You Are!

Everyone grows at their own rate, some are tall and some are short, and some are in-between, but what happens when you feel like you are a freak? Does your world fall apart? Alice is four inches taller than the other girls in her class. She hates that; she hates having to stand with the boys when their pictures are taken.she hates everything at this point in her life. Alice is very sad, and when she hears her parents and their friends call her a string bean, a twig and some other not to flattering things it breaks her heart. Poor Alice. That night as Alice sleeps she has a dream. In this dream she goes to a house where there are girls who are taller than her. Each one has lived their dream, and their height has not stopped them from being what they wanted to be. They share with her and Alice sees into the future and her present is changed. She truly realizes it is okay to just be herself and she is overjoyed. We all know that growing up can be difficult, but if you feel that you are different in a 'major' way (at least in your own eyes,) it can be heart-breaking. I have a granddaughter who is very tall for her age. She has shared with me time and time again how she wished that she were shorter. However, she has learned to be who she is. She is a beautiful girl and will become a beautiful woman, and thankfully she is blessed to live in a family that lets her know that. I wish all children did. This book will show any child dealing with what they might feel is not the norm in their life that they are exactly how they should be. It focuses on the positive of a person, the many opportunities that are before them, and how they can turn what they feel is not quite 'the norm,' into opportunity. They will walk away from reading this book with a new sense that they can be all they want to be. Powerful illustrations, bold and colorful, great story, with a purpose. All in all a must read for all children, big and small.