Shrinking Violet - Hardcover

Best, Cari

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374368821 ISBN 13: 9780374368821

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2001

Synopsis

Never has being shy seemed so rewarding!

Whether she's impersonating Elvis, swaggering like Captain Hook, or imitating the sounds of a cricket, Violet is expressive and funny -- but only when she's alone or with her best friend, Opal. At school, especially around class bully Irwin, who teases her nonstop, she retreats into a shell of shyness. But when Irwin, playing the part of Planet Mars in the class play, begins to spin wildly out of control and threatens to ruin the entire production, it's Violet who saves the day -- managing not only to give Irwin his comeuppance but to find her own unique way of surviving the spotlight.

Illustrations brimming with humor and charm add to the fun in this fresh take on overcoming shyness.

About this title

About the Author

Cari Best and Giselle Potter's previous collaboration, Three Cheers for Catherine the Great!, was a Booklist Editors' Choice and selected a Best Book of the Year by both Publishers Weekly and Child magazine. Ms. Best lives in Weston, Connecticut, and Ms. Potter lives in Kingston, New York.

Reviews

K-Gr 2-Violet is painfully shy and has always avoided anything that will draw attention to herself. She does not make waves in the swimming pool, swallowing sounds at snack time, or her voice heard in the Salute to Spring concert. When she is noticed despite her efforts, she wishes she could shrink away and writes "I am allergic to attention" on her hand. The situation is exacerbated by Irwin, whose main delight is in teasing her. The thought of having to participate in the class play terrifies her, until a refreshingly sensitive teacher comes up with a solution that not only comfortably places her center stage but also allows her to see Irwin in a different light. Best does an admirable job of fleshing out Violet's character, allowing readers to see the intelligent and funny child that her peers cannot, and makes a strong but subtle case for shyness being understood and accommodated instead of judged. Potter's pleasantly quirky illustrations are particularly effective in their composition. Violet is often placed facing out, as if making a sympathetic connection with her readers. Whether shared one-on-one or in a group, this is a first-class choice.

Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

otter's piquant watercolors put the crowning touch on this humorous tale of a shy child who saves her school play from disaster. The aptly named Violet hates to be the center of attention. It makes her "itch and scratch and twirl her hair" and wish she could shrink away. Though she has other talents she's observant and a great mimic she opts out of the school flag parade and avoids making waves in the swimming pool or "swallowing sounds at snack time." She especially dislikes it when Irwin draws attention to her, announcing that she has fat knees and smells like "deadly sewer gas." But during the class play about the solar system (for which her teacher assigns her the offstage part of the narrator, Lady Space), Violet chooses the high road: when Irwin forgets his lines, she mimics his voice and saves the day. In another romp from the creators of Three Cheers for Catherine the Great!, Best zeroes in on a familiar childhood emotion with insight and flair. Potter's whimsical characters, with their toothpick legs, tiny feet and expressive faces, cavort across the pages in a flurry of muted colors (don't miss Violet's impersonation of the Statue of Liberty). Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Ages 5-8. Violet is the quintessential shy worrywart. "I am allergic to attention," she writes privately, and constant teasing by obnoxious classmate Irwin mortifies her. But she notices and remembers everything, which translates into a talent for mimicry that her best friend Opal encourages. Violet gets her chance to shine publicly when a wise teacher casts her as the disembodied voice of space in a school play. From offstage, Violet steals the show with her perfectly timed imitations, showing up Irwin at the same time. In wry, well-paced prose, Best, the author of Three Cheers for Catherine the Great! (1999), a Booklist Editor's Choice selection, tells a good-natured story about discovering strengths and overcoming insecurity. Potter's charming, signature-style illustrations, filled with wacky angles and proportions, rich colors, and slightly nostalgic details, extend the story's drama and warmth. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0374368821
• ISBN 13: 9780374368821
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Potter Giselle
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40