Sir Small and the Dragonfly

Sir Small

by Jane O'Connor, John O'Brien (Illustrator)

Illus. in full color. "The tallest person is no taller than a toothpick in the town of Pee Wee, and when Lady Teena is abducted by a dragonfly, a tiny knight, riding his trusty ant, rescues the miniature maiden. This is a hit--an engagingly humorous storyline (set in very large type) features simple words and only a sentence or two per page."-- Booklist.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Fantasy, 1st Grade

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Since the publication of Fancy Nancy, Jane O'Connor's closet now boasts so many boas, tiaras, and sparkly ensembles that sometimes friends do not recognize her on the street. She still resides (that's a fancy word for lives) in New York City with her family and their canine companion, Arrow. --from the publisher's website

Reviews

[Cam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book about being brave no matter your size. This is step 2 book for a child that is just coming out of beginner reading.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is by Jane O'Connor, the author of the Fancy Nancy series, which I've been enjoying lately. I thought I'd give this book a try to see what it was like. It's much older, being published in 1988... and it shows.

The story is kind of dated, and it manages to reinforce negative stereotypes of a number of marginalized groups. Women need to be rescued. Old people are useless. So are fat people. Reading it through a 21st-century lens, it just doesn't work.

The pictures are kind of boring and a little bit silly. The people are drawn in one style (when they're not in closeup, they remind me of old-school Fisher-Price Little People), while the dragon is so cartoonish that it doesn't really seem to fit.

I didn't like the story, which is a basic "girl needs rescuing" tale. For a fun story with dragon kidnapping that turns the trope on its head, I'd recommend Robert Munsch's The Paper Bag Princess instead.

[Mackenzie Mountain · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the story of "Sir Small and the Dragonfly," after arriving in the town of Pee Wee, where the people are about the size of toothpicks, a dragonfly flies over the town and takes Lady Tina to its cave. Sir Small bravely volunteers to rescue Lady Tina despite him being even smaller than most people in the town. His rescue mission hits a bump when the dragonfly wakes up, leaving young readers on the edge of their seats to see if Sir Small and his trusty ant can save the damsel in distress.
This book is perfect for 4 to 7-year-olds. The large text and simple sentences supported by detailed illustrations make "Sir Small and the Dragonfly" a great choice for beginning or struggling readers. The themes of this book include self-confidence and individuality, which can be seen when the people of Pee Wee mock Sir Small for his size, but he stands up for himself saying "I am small, but I am brave," and believes that he can prove them wrong. This story also perfectly follows a basic plot map and could be used to help teach ideas such as exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, & resolution. This is one of the first books I remember reading and really enjoying. I hope others have the same experience.

[Melinda Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have good memories of reading this book, probably because the hero was so tiny. Sir Small rode into a town called Pee Wee on his faithful ant. "In Pee Wee the tallest person was no taller than a toothpick." So Sir Small decided to stay. One day, a giant dragonfly flew over the town. He noticed a pretty lady, Lady Teena, and flew away with her. The king asked someone, anyone, to save her, but everyone except Sir Small was afraid. He and his trusty ant saved the day. It isn't how small you are that matters, but how brave you are.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very small knight volunteers to rescue a lady who has been captured by a dragonfly. preschool and up for length and complexity. nice bravery theme

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both the dragonfly and the Knight's ant-mount are brilliantly adorable. The rest is unremarkable.

[Samuel Valentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, with fun illustrations.

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute and clever little premise for this easy to read, by the author of Fancy Nancy before she went viral. Little ones will love it.

[Alyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

What makes a childhood classic stand out? Is it the story? Is it the way it sparks imagination? Honestly, it could be any of it. For me, this book stood out to me as I was learning to read. It tells the story of a small brave night riding into the town of Pee Wee on his ant. When Lady Teena is abducted by a dragonfly, Sir Small volunteers. After all, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker are of no help.
I used to love looking at the art and imagining what it must be like in the butcher, baker, and candlestick maker's shops. The town of Pee Wee looked so inviting, I wanted to jump right into the book.
This book was perfect for when I was learning to read.

[Julia Jasztal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mommy's review from 12/11/11 -


Julia and I worked through this one together. There's a nice mix of "new" and "old" words in here and that gives children the right mix of trying the new words and feeling confident thanks to the old words.
It definitely doesn't hurt that the story is actually an interesting one and that there's a moral to it all.
Again, I can't say I'd really recommend it. I won't remember it long enough to actually recommend it and better stories of this sort can be found, but if you happen upon this it's worth a read.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Lady Teena is snatched up by the dragonfly, Sir Small is the only one in the village brave enough to try to rescue her.
The first graders enjoyed this book and they were able to read it independently. I like the book because it is somewhat of an interesting twist on a classic formula. Sir Small uses his wits to solve the problem but he also simply gets lucky so it sparked some good conversation about the different ways people can solve their problems. The best lesson I did all summer!

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a level 2 reading book, It's simple and at times basic with short sentences so I would say a merging from level 1 reader could read this with 'help'.

In a very tiny land there was an even smaller knight. A dragonfly came and took away the princess. But everyone else was afraid of the monster to find the Princess. Sir Small was brave and he went and defeated the monster and found the Princess. Proving that no matter how small you are you can still do big things!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is on the lower end of the learning to read scale - as in still pretty new to it. My struggling reader is doing well with this one and reads several pages a day without frustration. The faster reader read it in a few minutes.

The illustrations are well done and the kids all like to look through it. It's a cute story as well.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun story for beginning readers. The font is large and the narrative is short. It has lots of colorful illustrations and the idea of such a small knight (riding an ant, no less!) is very humorous. We loved his "battle" against the dragon(fly). It's a fun book to read aloud and is good for beginning readers.

[Cws]

JEAR1-O'Co

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading this book to my daughters. Wonderful moral story and engaging colorful illustraions. And as a bonus- it's a princess story.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book with my little brother all the time. I think it was the first one he memorized.

[Ian]

This was the first book I ever read.

[Trista · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a favorite of my son since he was born. I should have it memorized by now :) A fun and exciting bedtime story.

[Fr. Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I ever read. :)

[Cassandra Yue]

My son loved it!

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sir Small saves Lady Teena from a ferocious dragonfly.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book I ever read by myself.

[Elizabeth Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best kids books
I read this when I was little, and now my daughter does!