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20th out of 22 books
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10 voters
Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature
When Charles S. Stratton was born in 1838, he was a large baby, perfect in every way. But then he stopped growing. At age four, though a happy and mischievous child, he was just over two feet tall and weighed only fifteen pounds—the exact same size he had been as a seven-month-old baby. It was then that the notorious showman P.T. Barnum dubbed him Tom Thumb and put him on...more
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published
April 11th 2011
by Clarion Books
(first published February 28th 2011)
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Charles Stratton was a large baby in 1838, but at six months he stopped growing. P.T. Barnum discovered and hired him when he was five, humbugging audiences into believing he was eleven, and set him on the road to becoming the first global superstar. Over his 43-year life, Charles, renamed General Tom Thumb, traveled around the US and the world, performing in a multitude of costumes and earning himself a vast fortune (most of which he spent later in life on yachts, horses, and houses) and a wife...more
A fascinating story about a little person, probably the most famous little person, who made a mark on the world. The book provides not only a biography of Charley but also a look at entertainment in the 19th century. Charley spent most of his life on the stage. One wonders though, what made him so successful? Was it Barnum's superb but often deceitful marketing? Was it Charley's own talents? Was it his size? Or was it a combination of all three. That would be an interesting topic for discussion....more
Meh...it was okay. I received an advance galley from the publisher and the formatting was nutty so it was difficult to look past that.
Having gotten that out of the way, I found the story interesting. I had no prior knowledge of this character from history, how P.T. Barnum made him famous and how he traveled the world.
The book read like a school report, with little insight into the characters, little attempt by the author to inject any humanity into any of the subjects. It appears this author h...more
Having gotten that out of the way, I found the story interesting. I had no prior knowledge of this character from history, how P.T. Barnum made him famous and how he traveled the world.
The book read like a school report, with little insight into the characters, little attempt by the author to inject any humanity into any of the subjects. It appears this author h...more
Description:
When Charles S. Stratton was born in 1838, he was a large baby, perfect in every way. But then he stopped growing. At age four, though a happy and mischievous child, he was just over two feet tall and weighed only fifteen pounds—the exact same size he had been as a seven-month-old baby. It was then that the notorious showman P.T. Barnum dubbed him Tom Thumb and put him on display, touring him around the world as a curiosity.
A natural performer, Charley became enormously popular and...more
When Charles S. Stratton was born in 1838, he was a large baby, perfect in every way. But then he stopped growing. At age four, though a happy and mischievous child, he was just over two feet tall and weighed only fifteen pounds—the exact same size he had been as a seven-month-old baby. It was then that the notorious showman P.T. Barnum dubbed him Tom Thumb and put him on display, touring him around the world as a curiosity.
A natural performer, Charley became enormously popular and...more
Charles S. Stratton was dubbed Tom Thumb by P.T. Barnum at the age of five and that name stuck with him the rest of his life. This is a biography of Charles Stratton and to some extent that of P.T. Barnum as well. Their two lives became entertwined as Charles became more famous than anyone of the time could have realized. Many people believe he was exploited because of his diminutive size and others say that P.T. Barnum gave him something that he wouldn't have had otherwise, and Mr. Sullivan sho...more
Decided to pick this up as background reading for "The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb," a new adult fiction book which I am currently on hold for (why did my library only buy one copy? why??). Anyways, nothing like a nice children's nonfiction book while you wait, right? This really was an excellent overview of a man whom I knew very little about (ooo, no pun intended there, seriously. That was bad.) He really did begin the celebrity culture in America. I was this book would have touched on a b...more
Very informative for a person who knew next to nothing about Tom Thumb/Charles Stratton. In fact, I think aside from his name, I knew nothing until I read the children's bio about P.T. Barnum a few months ago. I liked that I read this so soon after that, because I was very familiar with Barnum's life and character--and he played a very big role in Charles' life. Plenty of things I didn't know, so the book kept my interest as I read. I don't think it was as well written as Candace Fleming and Rus...more
Mar 28, 2013
Linda Lipko
added it
In 1842, when P.T. Barnum traveled to Bridgeport, Connecticut to visit Charles Stratton, little did he know that in hiring the five year old tiny 25 inch, 15 pound child, it would be a tremendously wealthy endeavor for both.
Talking Charles' parents into trusting him to care for the tiny imp, in his usual flair for drama, Barnum billed the five-year old American child as eleven, from Europe and gave Charles the title of General Tom Thumb.
At birth, Charles was a large baby who weighted 9 lbs, 8 oz...more
Talking Charles' parents into trusting him to care for the tiny imp, in his usual flair for drama, Barnum billed the five-year old American child as eleven, from Europe and gave Charles the title of General Tom Thumb.
At birth, Charles was a large baby who weighted 9 lbs, 8 oz...more
charlie sutton alias general tom thumb lived what can only be described as a fairy tale life. beginning with his being hired by p.t.barnum to perform in his american museum at the age of 5 (although billed as age 11) he traveled around the world, spoke three languages, played the piano, acted and sang, as well as lectured about his experiences the the remainer of his life. even his marrige to livinia warren was the thing fairy tales are made of. i remember hearing stories of tom thumb as a child...more
As posted on Outside of a Dog:
I don't read many juvenile biographies, unless they come highly recommended. Luckily, such was the case with George Sullivan's Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature. It was included on an ALA list of notable books to be discussed at Annual Conference and received a starred review from Booklist. Going in, I didn't know much about Tom Thumb, outside of his involvement with P.T. Barnum, but I was certainly interested to learn more. What I found fro...more
I don't read many juvenile biographies, unless they come highly recommended. Luckily, such was the case with George Sullivan's Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature. It was included on an ALA list of notable books to be discussed at Annual Conference and received a starred review from Booklist. Going in, I didn't know much about Tom Thumb, outside of his involvement with P.T. Barnum, but I was certainly interested to learn more. What I found fro...more
What a fascinating life Tom Thumb led. From a young age it was apparent that he enjoyed being the center of attention, as well the fact that he wasn't growing at a normal rate. This book tells the story of how P. T. Barnum and Charles Stratton came to know each other and build both of their careers. Of course Barnum was interested in Tom because he was a "freak". This is what Barnum specialized in, giving people odd and strange marvels to see, for a small price. However, Barnum never treated Tom...more
This review first appeared on my blog: http://www.knittingandsundries.com/20...
Here's what I knew of Tom Thumb prior to reading this book: He was a midget who worked for P. T. Barnum.
What I know now: Tom Thumb was a superstar of his time - the nation's first celebrity. He owned a yacht, a stable of horses and carriages, and a magnificent home. He enjoyed rich food and expensive cigars.
He was born in 1838 in Bridgeport, CT, a healthy-sized baby of nine pounds.
When P. T. was introduced to Charles...more
Here's what I knew of Tom Thumb prior to reading this book: He was a midget who worked for P. T. Barnum.
What I know now: Tom Thumb was a superstar of his time - the nation's first celebrity. He owned a yacht, a stable of horses and carriages, and a magnificent home. He enjoyed rich food and expensive cigars.
He was born in 1838 in Bridgeport, CT, a healthy-sized baby of nine pounds.
When P. T. was introduced to Charles...more
An engaging book about the a dwarf who was discovered by P.T. Barnum before he was five and became quite a great performer. It is said that he was the first celebrity. He enjoyed performing, and became quite wealthy. Barnum had him travel to England and France, where he performed before royalty. He married and continued to travel and perform with his wife.
I had no idea what an interesting life he had.
I had no idea what an interesting life he had.
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My daughter picked out the title and my curosity got the better of me and I read it in one morning. Interesting information how he (Tom Thumb) was taken from his family at the age of 5 and exploited as an older boy for the PT Barnum shows. Who is also an interesting man and his many side show freaks he obtained in the day. History during the Civil War and abroad.... very interesting.
This biography of Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton) was well-written and interesting. The book also includes information about P.T. Barnum, as it was the collaboration of Barnum and Stratton that made them both rich and famous--at least for a while. While this isn't the most exciting book out there, those interested in this subject will be satisfied. Recommended for fifth grade and up.
Enjoyed reading and sharing with students this biography of Charles Stratton. They knew very little of the history of this fellow, nor his accomplishments. Interesting to share with students of this generation who see many entertainers but know little of their lives, background, and the history of the period.
An interesting peek at a remarkable life. I did feel the tone of the book was a bit too dry for children's non fiction, and the book became a little bit too much about Tom's wife and less about Tom towards the end, which took me out of the story a little bit.
Good storytelling, and it's true. Tom Thumb and his wife Lavinia never had kids, but her even smaller sister Minnie married a very short (but bigger than a dwarf) man. I can't get it out of my mind that Minnie died giving birth to a normal sized baby.
3.5 An overall enjoyable and informative book about the life of Tom Thumb. I am sure there are some more sinister dealings but since the this biography is geared towards children, those would not be appropiate. I think the author did a very nice job of describing the life and times of Tom Thumb.
Includes index, bibliography, and notes. Captions throughout true book provide excellent information. Pictures of Thumbs life an travels aid I understanding his profession.
This reads on a 6th grade level, but I just found the story so interesting. I always thought Tom Thumb was merely a fairy tale and not a real man. Great photos throughout the book.
Excellent biography of the worlds most famous and successful Little Person, Charles Stratton aka Tom Thumb. Primary sources, photographs and a good index round out this book.
Great biography of diminutive celebrity. Excellent photographs. For more insight into P.T. Barnum, read Candance Fleming's excellent The Great and Only Barnum.
Very interesting to read the story of this dwarf who joined P. T. Barnum's traveling show and became worldwide famous. Lots of fascinating photos.
Review at Reality Rules Made possible by #Netgalley
I thought having read Candace Fleming's Barnum biography 2 years ago was a good start as I was already familiar with Tom and Barnum's relationship. (which is a large part of this book) I was very surprised that Fleming's book was not listed in the suggested reading list. It's another youth nonfiction title..so I was surprised. (2012 APL Mock Newbery)
Quick, easy-to-read, yet surprisingly informative and fascinating account of one of P.T. Barnum's biggest stars.
loved reading this alongside autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin.
What a fascinating story! I would have paid someone to be able to research and write this book.
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George Sullivan is a best-selling nonfiction author with more than 100 books to his credit. He lives in New York City.
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