The Little Toymaker
by Cat Min (Author)
We all know about the guy in the red suit at the North Pole. But what if the world's toymaker was a little boy?
From the author and illustrator of Shy Willow comes the adorable little Toymaker, who makes wonderful toys... not for children, but for their grandparents and other older folk. (People often forget that they, too, like toys!) But it isn't always easy. One morning, an old woman brings the little Toymaker a candy tin she played with as a girl. The little Toymaker takes the tin and TA-DA! comes back with a sparkling new toy for the old lady. But it seems that what she truly wants was lost a long time ago. And it will take all the Toymaker's skill, magic, and empathy to bring it back for her.
A new holiday classic for a new generation, The Little Toymaker is the perfect story to share between generations young and old(er).
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Publishers Weekly
In this philosophical picture book of emotional generosity and meeting people where they are, the Little Toymaker, who is portrayed with light skin and dark hair, and wears a red and yellow robe, makes toys not for children, but "for grandparents, for older people." The Little Toymaker doesn't create new playthings; instead, he repurposes the objects that elderly people bring him "into something new--something magical." Min (Shy Willow) uses swirls of rainbow hues and stars to conjure up an otherworldly atmosphere, in which people with varied abilities and skin tones engage outside the Little Toymaker's tower. When a grandmother, shown with white hair and light skin, brings the toymaker a small candy tin, his first attempts fail to please ("Ack!" and "Oh dear," she says), but after the two drink tea and eat mooncakes together, and he listens to the woman's stories, his final attempt touches her heart. "How did you know?" she asks. Many themes intersect in this dreamlike tale, including giving as a source of joy, listening to elders, and making old things new again. Ages 4-8. Agent: Maria Vicente, P.S. Literary. (Nov.)
Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
"Min's fantastical imagination is once again on full Technicolor display in this fairy tale-like story... the vibrant illustrations, rendered in watercolor and colored pencil, will entice young and old alike. An ode to late-life nostalgia that will nonetheless be visually enchanting to all ages." —Kirkus
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
Magic
Memory
Old age
Toymakers
