The Size Switch

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A translation of Monteiro Lobato’s A Chave do Tamanho. Though on one level a children’s novel, the book also carries deep socio-political undertones. It tells the story of a rag doll who seeks to end war but ends up shrinking all of humanity to about half an inch. Millions die, but eventually she discovers the possibility of a new world order. But do people want to switch to a whole new world of peace?

The answer is as complicated as humanity.

The Size Switch is one of the later books in Lobato’s Yellow Woodpecker Farm (O Sitio do Picapau Amarelo) that has enchanted Brazilian children (and astute adults) for decades.

Cheney’s translation retains the playfulness of the original while changing a few words that reflect the general racism that existed in the early 10th century.