Mr Miniscule and the Whale

by Julian Tuwim, Bohdan Butenko (Illustrator), Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Translator)

This rhyming adventure tells the story of Mr Miniscule, a teeny tiny explorer with a BIG dream who sets off on the vast ocean in search of a big blue whale, only to find a big blue island. Or could he be wrong?



Mr Miniscule and the Whale is a timeless children’s classic known and treasured by three generations of Poles.



The stunning illustrations and humorous story will appeal to both young and old.

Genres: Polish Literature, Poetry, Childrens, Animals, Adventure, Poland

24 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2014

About the author

Julian Tuwim (September 13, 1894 – December 27, 1953), known also under the pseudonym "Oldlen" when writing song lyrics, was a Polish poet of Jewish descent, born in Łódź, Congress Poland (then, part of the Russian Empire). He was educated in Łódź and in Warsaw where he studied law and philosophy at the Warsaw University. In 1919 Tuwim co-founded the Skamander group of experimental poets with Antoni Słonimski and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. He was a major figure in Polish literature, known especially for his contribution to children's literature. He was the recipient of a prestigious Golden Laurel of the Polish Academy of Literature in 1935.

Reviews

[Jacob Ogilby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the language used in this book, Julian Tuwim is an author I haven't heard of before, however this story is captivating and flows so easily from the tongue. It is a crazy but understandable story which would make it great for a year 2 class. There are also a number of uncommon nouns that would be great for children to learn, such as barrel or gramophone.

[Tapani Aulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Puolan tuliaisina tuotu aivan valloittava lastenkirja pikkuruisesta Mr Minisculesta, joka etsii valasta.

[Amy Brydon Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the humorous language used in this book and think it would be great for a year 2 class. I think the humour, along with the rhyme scheme makes the book quite comical. The language is fairly simple but does feature some trickier words and phrases which could be explored in further depth e.g. 'a gramophone'

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Mum read this to me when I was little. A lovely story of a tiny man who sails off on an adventure in a boat made from a walnut shell, and ends up pitching a tent on top of a sleeping whale.

Interestingly, this has now been translated into English 👍

[madziar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wznowienie klasycznego wiersza Tuwima z 1939 roku z ilustracjami Bohdana Butenko z 1956.

[BrookesEducationLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic piece of poetry wrapped up in a picture book! I loved Mr Miniscule's list of belongings!

[Marek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo fajna bajka dla dzieci.

[Wiktor Seweryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

[6,5/10] – (2025) – no nie miał k_rwa dokąd płynąć, tylko do (*odgłos splunięcia*) Gdyni...

[Kamila Ząbek]

Super czytać tu zagraniczne komentarze pełne nostalgii 🥹 sama miałam ten zbiór wierszy jak byłam mała

[Ibis grafika · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.ibis-grafika.hr/shop/proi...

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wiersza Juliana Tuwima dla dzieci są prześwietne. Pan Maluśkiewicz rulez.

[Kinga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uwielbiałam to, gdy byłam dzieckiem.

[Ania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! :D

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jak i Slon Trabalski cala mala historyjka.

[Gooshe · Rating 4 out of 5]

نمی‌دانم در اروپای شرقی چه رازی‌ست که این قدر تصویرگر، عروسک‌ساز/گردان و انیمیشن‌سازهای خلاق و چیره‌دست دارد.
http://www.gooshe.net/%D9%86%D9%87%D9...

[Rachael Colson]

A Polish story and picture book written in rhyme and translated into English. It's about a tiny man who wants to see a whale so he sails across the ocean until he finds one. The illustrations are simple but meaningful, and the story is cute. Even though the rhymes aren't perfect in English, they still add to the character of the story.

[McKell Lythgoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry:
I read the book in English. It was such a cute little poem about a man going on an adventure to see a whale. I loved how the pictures showed you what the main character was unable to see. A good book to teach children that pictures can tell another story than the words.