I snagged this book for my two-year old son. He’s addicted to books—seriously addicted.

The Tallest of Smalls is a brief story about a neglected boy who got to play with the cool kids for a while before falling (literally) back into his own insignificance. The story concluded with Jesus entering to emphasize  the moral: the uncool are valued. Lucado used stilts to represent the difference between high and low on the social scale.

I’ll start with the good: The lines of poetry flow well. You don’t have to work to figure out which syllables should be emphasized. Further, the artwork is interesting. Monescillo used a distinct colour palate to add value to the work.

Here’s why I was disappointed: The story’s just not creative—in fact, it’s painfully predictable. There’s no danger, no real action—just a mind-numbing morality-tale. The front cover calls this story a “parable”. They use the term loosely. Seriously: Jesus makes a cameo! The story wasn’t compelling enough to make his point, so he brought in the ultimate Sunday-School-answer to drive the message home.

If you enjoy Hallmark Greeting Card-style Christianity, give it a try. Otherwise, spend your $16.99 (that’s 60 cents per page!) elsewhere.

Disclaimer: I received this book as a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program.

Lucado, Max. The Tallest of Smalls. Thomas Nelson, 2009.