Michelle Wilson (text) and P.J. Reece (illustrator), The Humongous Humdingle Family and the Tiny House, EK Books, February 2025, 32 pp., RRP $27.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922539922
The Humdingles are a large family – or to use the language of the book – a humongous family. Four children, two parents, two grandparents as well as cats, dogs and chickens, live in a tiny house which, according to the text, is terribly squashy and awfully noisy and the illustrations depict the crowding, clutter and chaos of this living arrangement.
One evening, whilst the family are wishing for something humongous, a huge house magically lands in their backyard. The family eagerly occupy the huge house, but something important is missing there – companionship. Descriptions of the abundance and loneliness of the huge house are in direct contrast with the discomforts, scarcities and crowding of the tiny one.
I enjoyed the light-hearted tone of Wilson’s text, in familiar, colloquial language and organised in satisfying repeated patterns that support young readers’ comprehension.
I also loved how Reece’s humorous illustrations further develop the playfulness of the story and add essential meaning through cartoon style, amusing representations of character facial expressions whilst depicting the conditions of the physical context. Reece also cleverly uses perspective to emphasise the vastness of the huge house or the confined space of the small house. Domestic settings are in pleasant soft pastel water colour effect which contrast with the bold, luminous colours for the dramatic and magical appearance of the huge house.
The Humongous Humdingle Family and the Tiny House is a fun story, suited for 4-8 year olds. With themes about the value of family togetherness, sustainability and gratitude for what we have, the story gives rise to interesting classroom discussion topics and the publisher has provided teacher notes for this purpose.
Reviewed by Barbara Swartz
