EyebrarianPrize winnersGet the app

Books › The Shrinking of Treehorn

Cover of The Shrinking of Treehorn

The Shrinking of Treehorn

Heidi, Florence Parry

First published 1989 · 80 pages

A delightfully deadpan fable about the surreal absurdity of being a child in a world run by profoundly oblivious adults.

Where to buyBooks like this

What it feels like

Reading this book feels like stepping into a perfectly constructed, slightly melancholic joke where the punchline is the adult world itself. The experience is defined by its masterful deadpan delivery, blending spare, matter-of-fact prose with Edward Gorey's distinctively cross-hatched, atmospheric illustrations. There is a quiet, surreal frustration that permeates the pages as you watch a child navigate a bizarre crisis while surrounded by authority figures who are too obsessed with rules and routine to notice. Yet, the mood never tips into despair; instead, it remains wry, quirky, and deeply funny. It is a brisk, brilliant read that delights anyone who appreciates understated satire and the quiet resilience required to survive the sheer absurdity of growing up.

Mood
  • surreal
  • melancholic
  • quirky
  • mildly claustrophobic
Tone
  • deadpan
  • wry
  • satirical
  • understated
  • absurdist
Pace
brisk
Themes
adult obliviousness · childhood powerlessness · the absurdity of bureaucracy · feeling unseen · quiet resilience
The writing
Spare, matter-of-fact, and perfectly calibrated to deliver dry, understated humor without ever winking at the audience.
The arc
Moves from quiet bewilderment at being entirely ignored to a pragmatic, self-reliant acceptance of life's bizarre curveballs.
Who it's for
Anyone who has ever felt profoundly unheard by authority figures and appreciates a healthy dose of dry, surreal wit.
Content notes
  • satirical emotional neglect

About the book

"If you want to pretend you're shrinking, that's all right," said Treehorn's mother, "as long as you don't do it at the table." But Treehorn wasn't pretending. He really was shrinking.

Hilarious complications result as he becomes more minuscule by the moment. Treehorn is a bit downhearted when his teacher says, "we don't shrink in this class," and sends him to the principal. Poor Treehorn spends an unhappy day and night until he discovers a magical game that restores him to his natural size. This is a great relief to Treehorn before he notices that he is turning faintly green....

Description from Open Library.

Books like The Shrinking of Treehorn

See why they match