The Small and Tall Ball

This book is absolutely adorable. It's actually something I've, surprisingly, never thought about before. So I am very glad to have read this. The class has a father-daughter, mother-son dance, but not everyone has that family dynamic. Some children have only a mom or only a dad, or are being raised by another family member such as a grandparent. Some children have two moms or two dads. Or their parents are away for reasons such as being in the military. This book really highlights the importance of acknowledging that all family dynamics are different and making sure that in family events everyone is included.

I think this is an important book to have in libraries and classrooms.

The Small and Tall Ball is a wonderful story about Oliver, a little boy who can't go to the mother-son and father-daughter dance because he has two dads. Some of the other kids in his class can't go either, because their family is different, too. The kids and their friends get together behind Oliver and get the teacher to change the dance to include diverse families as well. The Tall (adults) and the Small (kids) Ball is for everyone!

This is a beautifully illustrated book for kids about diversity and inclusivity. As the author points out, we live in a diverse world, but it's not always inclusive. Teaching our kids from a young age to be inclusive of everyone is so important. Totally loved this book! ❤️❤️❤️

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for my honest review on the book!

I really liked the book. I loved the story and the children in it and how they came up with the ideas for the ball. I also loved the name of the ball and title of the book.

I think it's an amazing book to read to kids, especially those who don't go to school yet or haven't been in situations where they see and meet families that aren't what we still unfortunately consider "normal" or "traditional", and this is a great place so they meet different pictures of what a family looks like.

Parents will find a note/guide at the end with tips but I don't have much comment on it since I'm not a parent.

Such a sweet book about including everyone no matter what their families look like. I always love to simple LGBTQ+ book for kids. My kids were a little young for it but I’d say it works for anyone kindergarten and older.

Bravo. I work at a school. I see so many different families. We are all different in so many ways.

I loved the cover, graphics, and storyline. The classroom/dance was the perfect setting. The children all looked different as they do in a classroom. The families also were different in many ways as they are in life. Thank you for writing this book. It's simple enough for a small child to understand and perfect for adults too.

While Mrs. Parkers class is preparing for amother-son and daddy-dsughter dance they realize that not everyone has a parent to invite. One little boy has two dads, a girls dad is away in another country for work and another little boy lives with his grandparents.

The kids along with their teacher decide to include everyone and rename the dance, including all their friends and family.

I cried while reading this. I'm a parent with my own daughter now. I was raised by my mom who is in a lesbian marriage so I knew how the kids felt. This was absolutely beautiful!

What a sweet book about inclusion and diversity that children with differences and different family composition can relate to!

I thought this was an excellent, gentle book on family diversity. When a kid is upset that he can't participate in the mother/son or father/daughter dance because he has two dads, others start to express how they can't either because their families look a little different too. So they decide they should rename the dance to "The Small and Tall Ball" instead, and everyone is welcome. I loved the message, and the illustrations. It also included ways to have conversations around diversity at the end of the book for parents to learn from. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and PESI Publishing for the ARC of The Small and Tall Ball.

This was a very cute story about inclusion, specifically in the instance of Mother/Son and Daddy/Daughter Dances. Those types of dances are so exclusive in terms of their names that I love the name used in this book of The Small and Tall Ball. It is such a simple and great way of showing kids how special other adults in their lives can be. My 3 year old really enjoyed this book.

I love this book's message of diversity and inclusion! I love that there's a kid-friendly definition of diversity and inclusion before the story even starts. There's a few things about the book that I wish were written or illustrated just a little differently. For example, the first child to mention he won't be able to go to the dance because he has two dads kind of gets brushed off until there's a second kid who mentions their dad is overseas in the military. There's also a gender expressive child in the book who's never mentioned and only shows up a handful of times, almost like the author and illustrator meant to make the child as invisible as possible. I think the book is a great conversation starter, but maybe not the "poster child" book for inclusivity.

What a simple idea that sparks such a wonderful and inclusive story! I adore that diverse families are included and children are accepting and want to make sure everyone is included!

As a former elementary and early childhood teacher I wish I had a book like this in my classroom library. The Small and Tall Ball teaches a wonderful lesson on inclusion and empathy that is easy for a young child to grasp. It does a great job showing different examples of the various family types children have today, not just the nuclear one of years past. #NetGalley #TheSmallandTallBall

As an Early Childhood Educator, I am always looking for books that encourage acceptance, inclusion and different abilities. I love that the children took the initiative to stand up for what’s right and make sure everyone felt loved, valued and included!

The Small and Tall Ball is perfect and I think this book could encourage schools to host their own Small and Tall Balls!

This book is exactly what I am to fill my shelves with! I’d love a hard copy of this book to add to the classroom!



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars!

Adorable, well written story about the diverse culture we live in today. Loved seeing children of all abilities, not just colors in the pictures. Many schools still have "father-daughter" dances, fortunately ours holds a "someone special dance" just for the reasons listed in this book! It would be a wonderful addition to our classroom library.
Thanks to NetGalley, Mr Sileo, and PESI Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with this eARC!

This is a fantastic little book! The representation and beautifully diverse illustrations made me so happy to see. I love the positivity with which the topic of inclusion was approached and the reminder of how easy it can be to make others feel excluded, even by accident! At the heart of the book is a soft, charming story that shows how by listening, caring, and working together, we can open our hearts and minds and provide spaces for everyone to feel welcomed and loved.

Would highly recommend this book! I also loved the author's tips and discussion points in the back. It's so important for kids to grow up having stories and subjects like this accessible to them, and I hope that trend continues!

An adoring picture book on including everyone for the upcoming ball. One kid has two dads, another has a dad overseas, and some just live with their grandparents. So it's up to the school children to change things around for their teacher, which becomes The Small and Tall Ball. They laugh and dance, bringing all to the event—a picture book to make everyone feel included and loved.

A class of children are preparing for the Mother-Son and Father-Daughter Dance when they realize how many of the children are left out, and they work together to change that. This is a lovely little storybook about inclusion, a great reminder to little ones to be more empathetic and inclusive - and to speak up when they see others being left out.

Katie Dwyer provided cute illustrations to accompany the story.

Thank you Frank. J. Sileo, PESI Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Not every family looks the same and The Small and Tall Ball celebrate that. When the school is throwing their Mother/son Father/Daughter dance some kids are left out because their Mothers/Fathers aren't there or they have two moms or two dads or live with grandparents. Not wanting them to be left out the rest of the class decides to throw The Small and Tall Ball so everyone can go. A great story for all families.

A story with a great message about inclusion for families that may not fit the typical mold. Personally, I never had the chance to go to a father daughter dance, and know how fun it could have been to have the opportunity go with my mom instead. It was nice seeing all the kids work together to provide an event everyone could attend and enjoy. The book did a great job in showcasing a problem that tends to be overlooked but also gives an easy to implement solution.

Thank you to NetGalley, along with the publisher for the eARC. This story teaches kids empathy and to celebrate the differences among themselves. A great read to show that all families are different/diverse from one another.

I love that this shows kids recognizing other kids emotions and feelings. Then they find a way to include those kids into their event taking into account the feelings regarding the current event. I think its a great way to teach kids about including others by making little changes that makes everyone feel welcome.

I absolutely love this book. It is so so good. With picturebooks like this I'm sometimes scared it will feel forced, or like a lecture to do better. But it all came so natural, because you read through the lens of these kiddo's. They stood up for each other and wanted equality because the way things were, was not fair for everyone!
The story flowed and unfolded. The kids were encouraged to think about the problem that had arose and to think about possible solutions. It was great to see the teacher let them think and supported them when they came with questions.

Both the text and drawings were amazing. I love how the prints in the book, like on the kids clothes or a poster in the classroom said things like 'cool kind fun' or 'be somebody that makes everybody feel like somebody'.

A story that explores equality, inclusivity, togetherness and the differences between families. Yes, some kids have no mom or live with their grandparents. Or their dad is far away. You name it, this book has got it.
Besides the different family compositions we also see all kinds of skincolors, disabled and non-disabled people. It made my heart so happy to see a kid in a wheelchair (I am saying that as a wheelchairuser myself). I wish I had a book like this when I was little!

In the back is a section for parents/caregivers. On how to use this book as a startingpoint but they needed to follow through and set an example for their kids on how to be inclusive and how to have those coversations with your kid. A super helpful guide with tips! This book is an absolute must read.

What a lovely message of inclusion! Celebrating all shapes, sizes, and colors, Frank J. Sileo reminds us that outdated names like the "Daddy-Daughter Dance" don't include everyone.

I especially adored the charming illustrations by Katie Dwyer! Dwyer manages to show so much emotion on the childrens' faces, as well as representing the lively movements of these characters throughout the book.

A great addition to any pre-school and kindergarten library.

What a lovely little book! This book serves as an easy introduction for all ages to seeing different types of family structures, and the importance of having a community of friends who care about you. Highly recommend!

While we live in an increasingly diverse world, that is not always reflected in the degree of empathy and inclusion that we extend to each other.

This clever story skilfully uses the example of the traditional mother-son and father-daughter school dances to show how many children may be left out in such scenarios.

Whether it is the daughter of a father who is away on a military assignment, or a child who has two mothers or two fathers, or one who lives with their grandparents or family friends or other extended family members, the traditional model of the family may fail to address their needs.

To make sure that everyone feels welcome and can participate with the adult of their choice, the teacher and students in the story put their heads together to come up with a solution that works for everyone.

In the end, the Small and Tall Ball allows each child to bring their adult along, without judgement or exclusion. Because, after all, nobody likes being left out!

This is a great book to read with children, and it also provides some useful suggestions on how to raise and address the issues around diversity and inclusion with young kids.

This was an amazing book about inclusivity that could be read to kids of any age. The illustrations were diverse - they showed children with different abilities and from different races; it even included a bit in the back for parents to read about teaching inclusivity to their children.