1. Allegory
2. Art techniques
3. Belonging
4. Book design
5. Compassion
6. Courage
7. Cultural diversity
8. Discrimination
9. Domestic life
10. Families
11. Hope
12. Identity
13. Love
14. Metaphors
15. Migration
16. Poverty
17. Sacrifice
18. Visual literacy

This is an unusual book that takes a unique look at the immigrant experience in particular the sacrifices immigrant parents make so their children can benefit from the opportunities afforded them in a new country.

A young couple arrives from a far-off Asian country with ‘old shoes and empty pockets’. They work hard to get by determined that their beloved baby son would have the ‘the same as other children’. To do this they make many sacrifices literally shrinking themselves to accommodate the mercenary and uncaring demands made. Their son does not understand or appreciate their sacrifices which he sees as the cause of the bullying he receives. Despite his pleas to them to stop, his mother replies, ‘Our hearts are just as big. Our love is just as good’. They continue to provide for him as they and their world become smaller.

In time the boy starts his own family and his parents no longer need to give although now they have shrunk to the size of a teacup. The boy understands. He builds them a tiny house and fills it with furniture carved from cedar branches just as his father had made toys for him. He lovingly watches as they quietly stand in the garden at sunset.

The artwork is inspired by Japanese woodblock prints and uses an elaborate process involving various art techniques and the digital program ProCreate. The images have a photo-realistic quality and use interesting perspectives and angles that to do not diminish the parents but show them in a sympathetic and loving light. The colour palette is a muted blue/mauve with red highlights mostly seen in the mother’s dress. A close examination of the illustrations rewards with intricate details particularly on the pottery pieces and the repetition of the illustration of the parents and the baby, first with the parents and then with the son and his baby. With the tiny parents looking on, there is a sense of family continuity.

The book’s front cover is an intriguing introduction. The parents are positioned formally in front of the legs and shoes of their son and the book’s title ‘My Strange Shrinking Parents. A tall tale by Zeno Sworder is set in postage stamp looking rectangle against the boy’s knees. There is a sense that the parents may be shrunken but in no way are they diminished. The endpapers are exquisite filled with drawings of a large variety of teapots giving a sense of hearth and home as a place of love and comfort. The artwork’s overall effect is one rich with emotion and love.

Sworder’s story is drawn from his own experiences and the sacrifices made by his mother in raising her family. It also raises the spectre of the difficulties and discrimination that many migrant families contend with in trying to give their children the same opportunities as others. This tale is both heart-warming and heartbreaking. It is a story of sacrifice and the all-encompassing nature of giving is told with candour, gentle humour and insight. At the end of the book the creator has added a brief note detailing the background to the story.

Shortlisted - 2023 CBCA Picture Book of the Year

1. Thames & Hudson Teaching notes by Amanda Robinson for ‘My Strange Shrinking Parents’ by Zeno Sworder https://thamesandhudson.com.au/teachers-notes-my-strange-shrinking-parents-by-zeno-sworder/
2. Roaring Stories Bookshop Blog by Kate Prendergast 4 September 2022. ‘2021 CBCA winner on his new book ‘My Strange Shrinking Parents’ https://www.roaringstories.com.au/2021-cbca-winner-zeno-sworder-on-his-new-book-my-strange-shrinking-parents/
3. Asian Review of Books 7 March 2023. Melanie Ho reviews ‘My Strange Shrinking Parents’ by Zeno Sworder https://asianreviewofbooks.com/content/my-strange-shrinking-parents-by-zeno-sworder/
4. School Library Journal 5 January 2023. Betsy Bird reviews ‘My Strange Shrinking Parents’ by Zeno Sworder https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/01/05/review-of-the-day-my-strange-shrinking-parents-by-zeno-sworder/
5. Social Justice Books Kate Prendergast reviews ‘My Strange Shrinking Parents’ by Zeno Sworder https://socialjusticebooks.org/my-strange-shrinking-parents/
6. ABC Takeover program. 2 November 2022. Owini (Melbourne) ‘Like many immigrant children, I hope one day my parents will believe their sacrifices were all worthwhile.’ https://www.abc.net.au/takeover/programs/takeover-melbourne/owini-glenwaverley-takeover-melbourne-winner/101556910
7. BuzzFeed ‘Children of Asian Immigrants reveal sacrifices their parents made.’ https://www.buzzfeed.com/watch/video/19491