The Teeny-Tiny Woman

by Paul Galdone

A droll rendition of the old English ghost story about the teeny-tiny woman who found a teeny-tiny bone in the teeny-tiny churchyard.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Halloween, Fiction, Classics, Fairy Tales, Ghosts

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 1984

About the author

Paul Galdone (1907 - November 7, 1986) was a children's literature author and illustrator. He was born in Budapest and he emigrated to the United States in 1921. He studied art at the Art Student's League and New York School for Industrial Design. He served for the US Army during world War II.

He illustrated nearly all of Eve Titus' books including the Basil of Baker Street series which was translated to the screen in the animated Disney film, The Great Mouse Detective.

Galdone and Titus were nominated for Caldecott Medals for Anatole (1957) and Anatole and the Cat (1958). The titles were later named Caldecott Honor books in 1971.

He died of a heart attack in Nyack, New York. He was posthumously awarded the 1996 Kerlan Award for his contribution to children's literature. His retellings of classic tales like "The Little Red Hen" or "Three Billy Goats Gruff" have become staples.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fairy tale is all about a woman of small stature and her journey through the town until she located a bone. Dreaming of a delectable soup that she could make, this woman took it home and put it away in her cupboard, before choosing to grab a few winks. The bone calls to her from the cupboard, spooking her until she makes a decision that changes her future. Neo liked the story, but even he commented that there was an excessive number of ‘teeny-tiny’s throughout. I think if I ever see this word again, I may actually leap up and run for the hills, no lie!

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the strangest story but my kids always like it.

[Dee Dee G]

Weird

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book in 1986 for my oldest son, today, I read it again, to my youngest grandson.

He loved it, and Ill have to read it again at bedtime!

[Meghan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

my mom read it for story time, can i log this on goodreads?

[Cynda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes. Good thing for children to know: Even a a teeny-tiny woman can command spirits. This edition can be found on YouTube. link

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Galdone, who retold many classic childhood tales over the course of his long career, from The Little Red Hen to Three Little Kittens , here turned his attention to that old English folktale, in which a teeny-tiny woman, finding a teeny-tiny bone in the cemetery, brought it home, and was visited by a ghost in consequence. I think the moral here, if there can be said to be one, is that one shouldn't rob graves.

An entertaining repetition-tale, with "teeny-tiny" popping up quite a bit in the narrative - the teeny-tiny woman lives in a teeny-tiny house, in a teeny-tiny village, and so on - The Teeny-Tiny Woman would make an excellent read-aloud! Galdone's artwork is appealing - I appreciated the fact that the weather immediately turned inclement, once the teeny-tiny woman stole the bone - although I think that, overall, I prefer the illustrations that Tomi de Paola did for Jill Bennett's Teeny Tiny . Still, young readers with a taste for spooky tales will enjoy this picture-book, as will Paul Galdone fans.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved this book since childhood. I read it to my library class and they loved it. They were grossed out that she took the bone off the grave, wanted to use it to make soup, and that broth for soup is actually made using animal bones! But---they were pretty sure this was a human bone and you shouldn't use that for soup!

Some kids asked why everything had to be teeny tiny, but all the students loved the book - especially the voice saying "Give me my bone!". Some kids never heard of the Man in the Moon and kept wondering about it's face in the illustrations. I read this book to represent the 100s in the Dewey Decimal system, which includes ghosts, telling them if this book were true - that's where it would go. This book actually goes in fiction and in the 300s for folklore.

[Ronit Delrahim · Rating 2 out of 5]

“The Teeny Tiny Woman”, by Paul Galdone is folktale that was passed from generation to generation and was told as a ghost story. This folktale is about a teeny tiny woman who goes to a teeny tiny churchyard and finds a teeny tiny bone. She takes the teeny tiny bone and saves it make soup. The teeny tiny woman takes a nap and the teeny tiny cupboard asks for the bone and doesn’t give up asking until she gives up the bone. The overall point of the story is the use of repetition emphasizing on teeny tiny. Everything that was mentioned in the story was teeny tiny.
The age range for this book would be from nursery to primary. The words in this book are very simple and easy for children to understand. A primary reader can practice reading and it is a perfect book with short sentences.
One of the artistic elements used in this book is color. A range of colors are used, but mostly dark colors indicating more of a scary book. The words in the story are large on each page and are bold helping young readers improve their reading skills. One or two sentences are on each page and a picture is used to interpret the sentence. The imagery in this book are colored very well allowing the children to understand what they are reading or listening to. The artistic media used in this book looks very similar to markers. The style of art used in this book is folk art because everything in this book is simplified, exaggerated to distort reality.
I would recommend this book to readers, because the use of repetition keeps the child interested in the story. Also this is a great book to read out loud with emotions. When reading this book, a creepy and teeny tiny woman’s voice should be used. This book is also great to read near Halloween time because of the creepiness.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the boys in my class is really into scary stories, so I was searching for more books he could read after finishing Haunted Canada. This one came up. I loved this book as a child! I really remember it well. I would laugh and laugh and how the teeny-tiny woman shouted at the voice, "Well take it!" when he kept badgering her about the bone she had taken.

Now I know it's something that was definitely better in my memories. What is it with kids these days?? When I finished it they stared blankly at me and said, "I don't get it."

Truthfully, I didn't either.

Maybe it'd be better at Halloween time. :)

....Next time I should review other people's reviews though. Good comments here!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this over and over as a child and LOVED it. As an adult though, I didn't think it was more than "pretty good". I'm going to try it at storytime and see if I'm being a grumpy adult or if it really wasn't that great when I read it as a child :) There is nice repetition of teeny-tiny and it is a ghost story that isn't too scary, so I think that it might go over well.

[Emily Ramos-Niaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun tale for kids. Children can relate to the character because she is so small and hides under the covers like we all did as children when we were scared. It teaches about the power of confidence and voice when the teeny tiny woman scared away the scary voice.

[Clare Vaterlaus]

If I have to say teeny tiny one more time, I’m going to lose it.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alissa pointed out that the woman and her things didn't look teeny-tiny.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is deeper than you think. I read this teeny tiny book because it was mentioned in a ghost story I was reading by Mary Downing Hahn (The Girl in the Locked Room). So naturally, I had to look it up. After reading the book I realized that I actually remember this one from a long, long time ago…

I know some people are annoyed by reading “teeny tiny” so many times over and over, but I think the author was just trying to put emphasis on just how teeny tiny this woman was/felt, because later she must face her fears and find the courage within herself to be “big.” Also little kids usually love repetitive phrases in stories, so I don’t think they would find it annoying. They’d probably have fun with it, actually, because they can participate.

This is a cute and just-scary-enough story for wee ones. It’s about bravery and using your assertive, “big” voice, even when you feel small or scared or shaky or intimidated. You are stronger and braver than you think!

A fun, quirky read- spooky, fun, and empowering!

[Deonna Hankerson]

This story was about a teeny tiny woman who had everything teeny tiny. One day she went out for a walk and found a bone. She took it back home and put it under her pillow. Later that night she heard a voice saying give them back their bone. The woman was scared and put her head under the cover but the voice continued. She finally yelled out to the voice to get the bone. There were no more voices after that.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

This tale was just a bit odd. The jacket of the book says that half the story is seeing the faces hidden in the pictures. I'm not sure this would have made a difference if I'd seen it before hand but ...

For the classic children's stories, I love to go to Paul Galdone's books. His illustrations are charmingly old school and his telling of the age-old stories spot on.

Ages: 4 -7

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember being freaked out by the fact that the Teeny-Tiny Woman picked up a bone in a graveyard intending to make it into soup. Was she a cannibal? She didn't appear to be on the verge of starvation. Upon re-reading it as an adult, I find I am plagued by the same questions. How nice to know I haven't changed.

[Nicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is this really a classic fairy tale? It was ridiculous how many times "teeny tiny" was written in this book. There was very little plot. And who was calling for the bone?! This was one of the worst children's books I have ever read. My 8 year-old agrees.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

September 2018 - not specifically a Halloween story, but gently spooky so it fits. Ben was instantly a fan, and we've read it over and over. I love hearing his theories about what happened to the bone, and why all the other objects disappeared from the cupboard, too.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of all the versions I've read of this story, this one is the most suitable for a group read aloud. Although, that's not saying much. It's just a meh story with no real plot. The illustrations are nice.

[Ariel Jensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

LOL — this book makes no sense! It has so much potential: “Now one day this teeny-tiny woman put on her teeny-tiny bonnet and stepped out of her teeny-tiny house to take a teeny-tiny walk.” So cute! But it gets verrrry repetitive very quickly. And suddenly, abruptly, it’s over. 🤷‍♀️

[Alicia Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

For: fairy tale/folklore fans; readers looking for a classic retelling that is appropriate for young readers.

Possible red flags: feeling frightened; spooky vibes; some readers may find too repetitive.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This title stands the test of time, with just enough buildup of suspense that is suitable for the younger child. There are plenty of teeny tiny phrases repeated in this title. Love the expressions on the face of the moon as the teeny tiny woman hears the voice from the cupboard.

[Philip Schulze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instant classic! My 4-year-old niece is repeating that phrase ad nauseam already! The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is because it drags on just a teeny-tiny too long in the middle. Other than that, a great read for kids!

[Holly Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because the illustrations are so great and it had so much potential. Is part of the story missing in this retelling? Me and my kids were so confused about who was calling out for the bone, and that sort of ruined the whole thing.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a version of the old ghost story “give me back my bone!” A teeny-tiny woman finds a bone and puts it into her cupboard. During the night she hears a voice calling for its bone. Nicely illustrated.

[Liz Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as odd as I suspected.. or even more so. Interestingly, I tried it out in my K classroom and the phrase "Give me my bone...." still haunts our room from time to time.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy spooky ghost tale that kept me thrilled to the end.

[Story · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is cute but very anticlimactic