George Shrinks [Hardcover]

William Joyce (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: K and up

He's smart.
He's swift.
He's small.
The heroic George is back!

William Joyce, the creator of many best-selling and award-winning picture books, including Dinosaur Bob, Santa Calls, and Rolie Polie Olie, presents a new deluxe edition of George shrinks. Now an animated Saturday-morning program on PBS, the classic picture book that started it all will charm readers of all sizes.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Illustrations in full, wild colors suit the frantic doings in Joyce's debut, a fast and funny tale. When George wakes up one morning, he realizes that his dream has come true. George has dwindled. He's smaller than his toy soldiers, half the size of his baby brother. But he's still the responsible boy his parents trust to obey orders they have left in a note beside his bed. And so a whirligig of merriment jets off with the minute lad minding the baby (George harnesses him to a wagon to haul out the garbage) and taking care of other chores. To feed the goldfish, George dons a diving helmet. To wash the dishes, he converts a sponge into "skis" and hurtles down plates in the sink with spoons as poles. The strange day ends with a final surprise for the little big brother and his delighted readers.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2 In his parents' absence, George dreams that he's small, and he awakens to find himself about three inches high. The understated text (largely the words of a note left to remind George to make his bed, brush his teeth, take out the garbage, etc.) is counterpointed by paintings with realistic detail in cartoon colors andoutstandinglyby their perspective: a mouse-eye view of the high adventure such boring chores become under the unusual circumstances. George's high-handed treatment of a malevolent cat, and the cat's near-revenge (thwarted when the shock-headed hero, under the bedcovers, pops back to normal size just in time for Mom and Dad's return) provides a little narrative line for the fun and excitement. Some witty touches and '50s nostalgia should please parents, who will root along with their kids for this updated and unflappable Tom Thumb. Treehorn, move over! Patricia Dooley, formerly at Drexel University, Phila .
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (October 2, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060230703
• ISBN-13: 978-0060230708
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 11.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #327,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A true luminary and creative spirit, William Joyce has put his personal stamp on children's media in every direction. His picture books include George Shrinks, Dinosaur Bob and Santa Calls; he's won three Emmy awards for his Rolie Polie Olie animated series; developed character concepts for Toy Story and A Bug's Life; and his films include Robots and Meet the Robinsons. He's currently co-directing The Guardians for DREAMWORKS, and is producing The Leaf Men, based on his picturebook. He lives in Shreveport, LA, and is the founder of Moonbot Studios.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book!, November 4, 2001

By 

Susan B. - See all my reviews

This review is from: George Shrinks (Hardcover)

"George Shrinks" is one of my favorite children's books of all time. It is the first book that William Joyce both wrote and illustrated--and what a grand debut!

A boy named George wakes up one morning to find that he is only three inches tall. He also finds a note from his parents with a list of chores he must do (which becomes Joyce's unique way of telling the story--the parent's note is the actual text of the book). The story follows George as he heroically navigates through the now gigantic house, evades the hungry house cat, and completes all his chores in very creative ways.

The illustrations, done in watercolors (though not pale and washy), are a mixture of highly realistic details (the house and surroundings), and a comic style (the characters). Included are several wordless full-page spreads of George flying a toy airplane which on their own are worth the price of the book.

If you can, buy the new large format of the book (November 2000 edition). The illustrations are much larger and the colors are more brilliant. The illustrations were probably rephotographed since the original edition is back from 1987 or so. (...) The newest version has a brand new cover illustration recently done by William Joyce.

Well, enjoy this book and happy shrinking!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great for kids and parents, May 17, 2002

By 

Orrin C. Judd "brothersjudddotcom" (Hanover, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: George Shrinks (Hardcover)

"One day, while his mother and father were out, George dreamt he was small, and when he woke up he found it was true." So begins this delightful picture book by
William Joyce, who will be most familiar to folks as the creator of Disney Channel's Rolie Polie Olie. George too has his own series now, on PBS, and a spanking new
reprint of his original adventure.

The story here is fairly basic : George, suddenly three inches small, follows the instructions his parents left behind in a note, to clean up the house and watch his little
brother (now a BIG little brother). Along the way he avoids an ornery house cat and rides in a toy plane. Our kids favorite page features George scrubbing dirty
dishes by skiing down them on a sponge.

As with Rolie Polie Olie though, the story is secondary to Mr. Joyce's remarkable artwork. In Olie he manages to combine Art Deco with Futurism; here it's all
throwback. George Shrinks looks like a really hip version of the Dick and Jane books. A story with a miniature hero kids can relate to and illustration interesting
enough to hold adult attention--what more can you ask?

GRADE : A

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great reading-together book, October 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: George Shrinks (Board book)

George wakes up to discover he's become small, and then has to do his chores, including washing the dishes (with a sponge for a skis) and taking a bath (of course the rubber ducky is now as big as a boat). Its recommended for 3+ years, but my 16 month-old adores it.