What does a shy girl want to be when she grows up? A doctor, but not just any doctor—this little girl wants to care for creatures who may seem intimidating, but are really very shy, just like she is.
David Mack’s extraordinary picture book debut is perfect to read aloud with creatures little and big, shy and outgoing, who believe in the magic of imagination.
| ||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Fierce mythical beasts find a helpmate in this visually striking but ultimately saccharine children's debut by a prominent comics artist. When a teacher asks her pupils about their goals, a pigtailed girl peeks from behind a stack of books. 'I want to be a doctor to the shy creatures,' said the shy girl. Or she would have, if she wasn't so shy. If she would only talk, the girl would describe how she imagines bandaging Bigfoot's stubbed toe, repairing a unicorn's broken horn (so he wouldn't be forlorn) or treating a phoenix for heat rash. Mack, in a radical departure from his Kabuki graphic novels, salutes Dr. Seuss (by way of creep-meister Charles Burns) in his art and layouts. When the introvert balances on a tower of drinking glasses and introduces her very shy fish,/ who lives in a very high dish, Yertle the Turtle and The Cat in the Hat are points of reference. Yet the Seussian grace is missing. Mack's mostly polished ink line drawings, tinted with opaque colors against a white ground, occasionally look clumsy, and the girl imagines her unspoken wishes being greeted by mechanical scorn: 'Ha ha ha!' the class would laugh. Mack pairs a gentle soul with misunderstood monsters, but his cloying whimsy and flatfooted rhymes suggest that he has yet to find the right voice. All ages. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
What if Bigfoot stubbed his toe? Or if the Abominable Snowman overheated? Or Cyclops needed glasses? A shy girl who can't say a word in class imagines herself as a doctor healing each scary monster. The creatures may seem terrifying, but they are really just as shy as she is. In his debut children's book, comics artist Mack has huge fun with legendary monsters, celebrating the grotesque in a rhyming text and glossy, colorful double-page-spread pictures that may call up some of Dr. Seuss' work but still have a winning, solid charm of their own. The weird and the gross are a big part of the fun (aliens with hairless, oversize heads eat eye boogers with fries), as is the little girl's fantasy of power and acceptance. Children can read about the unfamiliar creatures in the monsters' glossary, located on the verso of the title page. Rochman, Hazel
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sure To Be Your Child's Favorite!,
By
This review is from: The Shy Creatures (Hardcover)
Originally tucked inside David Mack's long running comic book master piece, Kabuki, The Shy Creatures is presented here in its entirety in this beautiful children's hardcover. The illustrations and rhyme scheme will remind parents of Doctor Seuss and Maurice Sendak classics, while young readers will appreciate the underdog heroine and her band of imaginary, mythological and cryptozoological friends. Every child is sure to laugh out loud at the Yeti's grooming which results in a poodle cut or the Chupa Cabra who receives a new smile courtesy of some seriously huge dentures! I allowed my daughter to read the comic book presentation of this story and she asked for it 3 nights running. Full of imagination, laughs and a little shy girl you'll all root for, this is destined for classic status, an excellent bed time story that will send your children off to sleep with a smile.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Son Loves It,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Shy Creatures (Hardcover)
My son has loved this book since he was 3 years old. I had to keep checking it out at the library and sometimes it wasn't in, so finally I just bought it. It's really cute.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great gift!,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Shy Creatures (Hardcover)
Great gift :)I bought 3 of these for the different families with small children. Books are always an appreciated addition to anyone's collection!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs):
(learn more)
Shy Girl Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Shy Girl Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
So You'd Like to...
Look for Similar Items by Category
- Books > Children's Books > Animals
- Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Dragons
- Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction
- Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Emotions & Feelings
- Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > School
- Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Self-Esteem & Self-Respect
