The Little General and the Giant Snowflake
2007
First Published
4.20
Average Rating
65
Number of Pages
In this compelling tale, the “little general” heads an army called the Realists. Every day he and his troops practice battle formations on a field while the Dreamers use it to play strange, peaceful games. The little general's soldiers include Sergeant Samantha, who is very tall and wishes the general would pay attention to her, and Lieutenant Lyle, an imaginative fellow who always seems to get into trouble. One day the little general sees a giant snowflake hovering in his garden and realizes he is suffering from a disease of the imagination. He is very ashamed and pretends not to see it, but eventually he discovers that everyone in his army has a similar problem. What magical message is the snowflake trying to bring to the general, and to the world? In a time of violent military solutions to global problems, this illustrated allegory by a leading poet has a particular, powerful resonance.
Avg Rating
4.20
Number of Ratings
40
5 STARS
53%
4 STARS
25%
3 STARS
13%
2 STARS
10%
1 STARS
0%
goodreads
Author
Matthea Harvey
Author · 9 books
Matthea Harvey is the author of three books of poetry—Modern Life, Sad Little Breathing Machine and Pity the Bathtub Its Forced Embrace of the Human Form, and one children's book, The Little General and the Giant Snowflake. She teaches at Sarah Lawrence and lives in Brooklyn.
