The Big, Bold, Adventurous Life of Lavinia Warren

by Elizabeth Raum

Lavinia Warren never let her height--or the lack of it--prevent her from leading a full and adventurous life. Although she never grew more than three feet tall, she became a beloved teacher, a world traveler, an entertainer and the friend of many powerful figures. Lavinia was teaching at a local school when she heard about an opportunity to travel doing shows as a "human curiosity" on a Mississippi River boat. Eventually she met P. T. Barnum and worked at his American Museum. It was there that she met Charles Stratton, a little person known to the world as "Tom Thumb." Their wedding, which took place on February 10, 1863, brought joy to a nation at war. President and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln held a reception for the couple at the White House. The newlyweds later toured the United States and the world. Lavinia faced several tragedies but always found the strength to go on. Lavinia's extraordinary story also provides a social history of one of the most devastating periods in American history. With additional material on Tom Thumb Weddings, readers' questions, time line, and notes and bibliography, this is sure to be a valuable title for adventurous middle-grade readers.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, History, Teachers, School, Romance

176 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2018

About the author

As a child, I loved writing reports. For me, doing research has always been a kind of treasure hunt. My treasures are the facts that create pictures of past worlds and faraway places. I've put those facts into nearly 100 biographies, histories, and science books for young readers. I've also written two picture books and several interactive adventures that place you, the reader, inside the story. I hope that all my books lead you to imagine yourself in some intriguing place among fascinating people. Every book should take readers on new adventures in this big, beautiful world of ours.

Happy travels!

Author website: www.elizabethraumbooks.com

Reviews

[Heidi]

Lavinia Warren spent years of her life traveling the world. When she was born in 1841, that is not what her parents envisioned for her. But when she stopped growing at a young age, and remained short her whole life because of dwarfism, things started to look different. Her size never stopped her from playing pranks, becoming a teacher, and learning to take care of herself. After spending a year on a riverboat starring in various shows, she returned home as the Civil War broke out. Meeting P.T. Barnum changed her life. He invited her to work at his American Museum where she met Charles Stratton, otherwise known at General Tom Thumb. After getting married, the two spent many years traveling around the world performing for packed audiences. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Lavinia's adventures, the people she meet, the places she saw, and the friends she made. While her size did make her life more difficult in some ways, she didn't let it stop her from seeing and experiencing the world. This is a great middle grade biography about an woman who left her mark on the world.

[Mrs. Mazzola]

I had never heard of Lavinia Warren prior to reading this and her story was interesting and the period details were fascinating. However, it was a little slow to start, which made it hard for me to finish. And because much of the information is taken from her own autobiography/journal, it has a problematic view about circus/sideshow performers that could have used some explanation in a place like the author's note.

[Andrea Cox]

Such an intriguing biography! I loved the circus when I was little, and this book brought back so many happy memories for me. It would have been amazing to be in the audience for one of Lavinia Warren’s shows. It was really fun learning about her life from childhood to adulthood and all the way to her death. There were adventures, mishaps, romance, and humor spread throughout the journey, and I’m glad Mrs. Raum brought each aspect out to shine in the spotlight, highlighting a neat historical figure in American history. This author has the knack for making learning history fun!

I wept in the final chapters. Oh, the heartache Lavinia must have experienced! I felt it right along with her all these generations later by way of this book. Oh, my heart!

This book is a must-read for those who love circus history.

Content: alcohol mentioned, taverns mentioned, child drinking, child smoking

[Autumn]

Fun, accessible and sensitive bio of Lavinia Warren, aka Mercy Bump. Lots of great photos, and not 'inspiration porn' in the least. Bound to be a kid pleaser!

[Barbara]

This one is a 3.5 for me. I'd never heard of Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump before reading this biography, but I'm glad that I had the chance to rectify that. A proportionate dwarf born in 1841 in small Middleborough, Massachusetts, Lavinia was much smaller than all the other members of her family except one younger sister. Despite her lack of height, she became a teacher, and then later, her diminutive stature made her curiosity that allowed her to broker a career as a showboat entertainer, and a beloved member of P. T. Barnum's troop. For readers looking to read a tale that describes how challenging life was for Lavinia or looking to feel sorry for her, they won't find that here. While some of her life's challenges and tragedies are described in the book's pages, what is most noticeable is hinting at in its title: Lavinia did, indeed, live a full, rich, long life. She traveled the world, met presidents and royals, and had a unique perspective on the Civil War as it unfolded. She even found true love in the arms of Charles Stratton, known as Tom Thumb, and had expensive dresses that were tailored just for her. Her audiences were fascinating by her charming personality, doll-like features, and her elegance. Throughout the story, it is clear that she somehow took what others might have regarded to be a disability and turned it into a marketable commodity--in some respects heralding the current fascination with reality television shows, fame based on rather questionable pursuits, and celebrity. Source notes, a timeline, and several archival photographs as well as a short section on Tom Thumb Weddings are sure to heighten readers' enjoyment of the book. How many of us with our normal stature can claim to have lived lives as big, bold, and adventurous as this woman's?

[Kim Tyo-Dickerson]

Fascinating biography for young readers of adventurer Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump, a little person who performed all over the world with the support of P.T. Barnum, married Tom Thumb in an extravagant nineteenth-century wedding (see contemporary report via the Civil War Harper's Weekly newspaper facsimile from February 21, 1863), met Queen Victoria and Abraham Lincoln and generally managed her fame, and resulting wealth and luxurious lifestyle as a result of her size and ability to perform throughout her long life, with courage and a great deal of enjoyment from all accounts.

More fascinating photos and overview of her life here at Atlas Obscura "Lavinia Warren: Half of the 19th Century’s Tiniest, Richest Power Couple".

Recommended biography for students interest levels grade 5 and up.

[Jeannie]

Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump aka Lavinia Warren had a most unusual life. She was a dwarf who was not held back by her size. Her very supportive family raised to be as self sufficient as she could be. Lavinia taught school to normal size children when she was 16, earning the respect of her community. When her cousin, an entrepreneur, asked her to perform on his river boat, she accepted the adventure. This brought her to the attention of P. T. Barnum, the famous showman. Barnum introduced her to Charles Sherwood Stratton aka Col. Tom Thumb and even arranged their lavish wedding in 1863. Elizabeth Raum's book describes all this and more. Together Lavinia and Charles traveled the world to Europe, Asia and even Australia. Travel back then was not so easy and because of their size there were many obstacles, but carry on they did! Raum provides insight into the life of little people and the back matter in the book is very useful for further research and reading. Great pictures, too.

[Kris Dersch]

Super interesting topic and very accessible to middle grade readers. It is a little all over the place. Sometimes I like that...the historical sidebars are great...and sometimes it's distracting. The tacked on additional chapter at the end about Tom Thumb weddings seemed unnecessary and the comment that girls tend to like them more than boys was cringe-worthy. I feel like this author maybe went down a Tom Thumb wedding rabbit hole and then wasn't sure how to cut it. Overall, the back matter was good and the acknowledgement that this is a topic mostly covered by unreliable narrators, especially since she obviously got much of her info from the subject's autobiography. The shoutout to librarians and archivists in the acknowledgements was, by me, appreciated.

[Apriel]

Totally missed where it said that this was a middle grade book otherwise I think I would have given it a pass and read something else. Not that it’s a bad book because it isn’t. It just isn’t the in-depth biography I wanted. If you’ve read anything about PT Barnum or about “freak” shows that mention Lavinia Warren then you will probably already be familiar with the facts presented in this book. Very little was new to me at this point.

[Kim]

The author seamlessly weaves facts into the story and delivers an entertaining read. I enjoyed learning about Lavinia's remarkable and unusual life. I had heard about Tom Thumb growing up, but I didn't know he was a real person, let alone that he was married--to Lavinia! So many wonderful, personal stories within these pages. Great read!

[Natalie]

Well-written, but problematic in its treatment of sideshows /circuses/disabled people in the 19th century. The use of primarily an autobiography that was undoubtedly highly edited and perhaps not totally reflective is problematic.

[S.E.]

A fascinating journey into the life of a truly spunky woman. I couldn't believe how much courage Lavinia had to explore the world; she never let her diminutive stature limit her from doing what she wanted. Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down!

[Kathy]

What a broad history of the time period! Kids will definitely enjoy this story.

[Alice]

Really interesting