The Big Adventures of Tiny House

By Susan Schaefer Bernardo

The adventure begins when an old farmhouse gets salvaged and recycled into Tiny, a snug little house with a big heart -- and WHEELS! With the help of Big Truck, Tiny sets off across America to discover if he is still a real home. On his incredible journey, Tiny sees landmarks like the Grand Canyon, the Redwoods and the Rockies. He also makes interesting new friends on the road, including Shiny the Airstream, Waverly the houseboat, and Buster the skoolie. Tiny even goes to a jamboree to celebrate and share stories with lots of other tiny homes! 

After traveling thousands of miles, Tiny discovers that home isn't a place...it's a feeling in your heart. The irresistible rhymes and delightfully detailed illustrations in this lyrical new picture book from the creators of Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs are sure to enchant children - and the book's gentle messages about sustainable living, home, community, friendship and working together will delight parents and teachers as well.

Reviews:

"After a small yellow farmhouse gets converted into a cozy mobile home, it sets off on a cross-country road trip. Polaroid-style photos highlight stops on the journey, including St. Louis and New Orleans. Bernardo (who previously collaborated with Fletcher on Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs) alludes to the family who have made Tiny House their new home (Though they didn't have room for all their old stuff,/ what they decided to keep was exactly enough), but Fletcher keeps them offscreen, allowing readers to imagine themselves in the story. Hitched up to a vintage green truck, aka Big Truck, Tiny House encounters other types of residences, including a pompous mansion named Missy, who chides, You can't be a home/ if you don't stay in one place ; an Airstream-style trailer; a houseboat; and a skoolie bus. Bernardo's singsong verse sometimes stretches for its rhymes, but it still sets up a mood of adventure equally evident in Fletcher's crisp, cheerful, and polished artwork. It's a story that sings the praises of tiny living and the camaraderie of the open road. Ages 4 through 8." --Publisher's Weekly

"Love, love, love! This book has everything... wonderful illustrations, a solid and smooth rhyming rhythm, a message, and a geography lesson. He could be a home anywhere, because home wasn't a place. Home was a feeling, a smile on your face. Home was a friendship and singing and a full happy heart - it was sharing good meals and where you hung up your art. The story touches on Recycle-Reduce-Reuse with the tiny house being made from pieces of an abandoned farmhouse. It shows different types of homes on wheels and also takes the reader on a trip around the USA; stopping at attractions in different states. It talks about family and community, and what home truly means. I loved how it was like a stepping stone between a traditional picture book and a children's chapter book. What a gem of a story!" --Goodreads review

• Language: English
• Publisher: Susan Schaefer Bernardo
• Release date: Aug 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9780971122857

Susan Schaefer Bernardo

Susan Schaefer Bernardois a firm believer in the healing powers of creativity. She and her illustrating partner Courtenay Fletcher released their first book in 2012, forming their own indie publishing company Inner Flower Child Books with a mission to produce books to heal and inspire children of all ages. Bernardo is the award-winning author of Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs, a lyrical picture book about the enduring power of love.  Her second children’s book The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm(co-authored with LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow) helps families cope with traumatic events, and was sent via rocket to the International Space Station as part of the “Storytime from Space” program and also read aloud by First Lady Michelle Obama! Her third picture book, The Big Adventures of Tiny House, is the story of a recycled tiny house on wheels who sets off across America to find the meaning of home. In 2018, she published Inspired, her first novel for tweens and teens - the story of a 14-year-old girl named Rocket who discovers she is descended from Greek Muses and must balance middle school with magical Muse training. And most recently, she and Fletcher published a picture book biography titled The Artist Who Loved Cats: The Inspiring Tale of Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen, about the artist behind the iconic Le Chat Noir cabaret poster. Bernardo is also a published poet, whose poem “Tonic Waters” about her mother-in-law’s death was selected as the winning entry for The Cancer Poetry Project 2 anthology and read aloud at the 2014 World Cancer Day Concert. She makes her home in Los Angeles, with her sons, two cats, three chickens, a rambunctious terrier...and a lot of love.  When she is not writing, you might find her tidepooling, sculpting, gardening, browsing through a bookstore or museum, or traveling the world in search of her next inspiration!

Book preview

Reviews for The Big Adventures of Tiny House

[datrappert · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When the city encroaches on a farmhouse, it is turned into a tiny house on wheels and travels around the country. Nice idea, but not all that well executed story-wise. The illustrations are pleasing, however.