Tag Archives: Shyness

PPBF – Gustavo the Shy Ghost

Posted on October 30, 2020 | 3 comments

I read a review of today’s Perfect Picture Book on Children’s Books Heal a few weeks ago, and I knew I had to find and review it during this spirit-filled season. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Title: Gustavo the Shy Ghost

Written & Illustrated By: Flavia Z. Drago

Publisher/Date: Candlewick Press/2020

Suitable for Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: Day of the Dead, Mexico, shyness, loneliness, friendship, ghosts

Opening:

Gustavo was a ghost. He enjoyed doing the normal things that paranormal beings do – passing through walls, making objects fly, and glowing in the dark.

Brief Synopsis: Gustavo, a ghost, loves to play the violin, but otherwise is very shy and must find the courage to make friends.

Links to Resources:

  • Gustavo glows when he plays the violin. What makes you glow with happiness?
  • The other monsters don’t notice Gustavo because he is invisible. Do you ever feel invisible? What do you do to get noticed by classmates, friends, or a sibling?
  • Check out the fun activities in the Activity Kit;
  • Try some Day of the Dead craft ideas.

Why I Like this Book:

Gustavo is such an endearing character with a problem that I think many kids will be able to relate to: shyness and feeling invisible. I found myself rooting for Gustavo in the scene in which he is afraid to join the other kids ordering eye-scream. And a scene with a sad-faced Gustavo alone on a teeter-totter made me want to hug him and tell him everything will be all right.

But mixed in with these empathy-inducing scenes are many funny things, too, like the scenes in which Gustavo tries to get the others to notice him by pretending to be other objects, including a balloon.

In addition to the unexpected and heartwarming ending, I think kids and their adults will love learning about the Day of the Dead celebrations during which this story unfolds. And Drago’s detailed and colorful artwork will have kids asking for many re-readings.

A Note about Craft:

In this debut picture book, Drago has created the perfect character to discuss a topic that will resonate with so many kids (and adults): feeling shy and invisible, but craving friendship. I think many of us have felt like a wallflower or an invisible creature at some point in our lives, and choosing a ghost to “display” these feelings is so perceptive. And having Gustavo excel and want to share a talent that involves hearing instead of sight is a terrific way to show kids that looks may not be everything.

Not only does Gustavo the Shy Ghost explore the problem of being shy but craving friendship, but anyone wanting to find out about the Day of the Dead festivities will learn so much by reading this picture book.

A Spanish-language version is also available. Also, for a fun surprise, peek under the dust jacket!

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!

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Perfect Pairing is Moonstruck

Posted on April 16, 2019 | 2 comments

With the fiftieth anniversary of the first lunar landing approaching, there’s been increased interest in stories about our relationship with the moon. I recently read two new picture books that had me moonstruck, too.

A Kite for Moon

Authors: Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple

Illustrator: Matt Phelan

Publisher/Date: Zonderkidz/2019

Ages: 4-8

Themes: moon; historical fiction; space exploration; friendship

Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A Kite for Moon, written by New York Times bestselling author of How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? Jane Yolen and her daughter, Heidi E. Y. Stemple, tells a heartfelt story about a young boy’s fascination and unlikely friendship with the moon. With whimsical illustrations by award-winning artist Matt Phelan, the story begins when the little boy, who is flying his kite, notices a sad Moon. He sends up kites to her, even writing notes to Moon promising he will come see her someday. This promise propels him through years and years of studying, learning, and training to be an astronaut! Dedicated to Neil Armstrong, and a perfect children’s book to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first United States moon landing, the cover of this book will captivate readers with eye-catching spot UV, foil, and embossing.

Read a review and an interview with Yolen and Stemple at Writing for Kids (While Raising Them).

Music for Mister Moon

Author: Philip C. Stead

Illustrator: Erin E. Stead

Publisher/Date: Neal Porter Books (Holiday House Publishing, Inc.)/2019

Ages: 4-8

Themes: moon; shyness; friendship; music; courage; imagination

Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):

What if you threw your teacup out your window…and what if it accidentally knocked the moon out of the sky? 
A girl named Harriet longs to play her cello alone in her room. But when a noisy owl disrupts her solitude, Harriet throws her teacup out the window and accidentally knocks the moon out of the sky in frustration. Over the course of an evening, Harriet and the moon become fast friends. Worried that he’ll catch a chill, Harriet buys the moon a soft woolen hat, then takes him on a boat ride across a glistening lake, something he’s only dreamed of. But can she work up the courage to play her music for the moon?

Read a review at The Picture Book Buzz.

I paired these books because they are dreamy, lyrical books, perfect for bedtime, that personify the moon and treat it as a character (a her, in A Kite for Moon and a him, in Music for Mister Moon). Interestingly, the moon is envisioned as lonely in both books, and friendship is a strong theme in both. As the unnamed boy in A Kite for Moon works hard to realize his dream to visit the moon as an adult, shy Hank works hard to overcome her fear of performing as she plays her cello on the moon in Music for Mister Moon. Both books thus show children that dreams are attainable.

Looking for similar reads?

To find out more about our quest to reach the moon, see Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon by Suzanne Slade/Thomas Gonzalez (Peachtree Publishers/2018), and a “galaxy” of fiction and non-fiction children’s books about space exploration in a recent post in Publishers Weekly.

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PPBF – Shy

Posted on October 7, 2016 | 7 comments

I first caught a glimpse of today’s Perfect Picture Book during the New England SCBWI conference this past Spring. One look at the title and the gorgeous cover and I was hooked – I was a shy child hiding in books (and some would argue I still am) who raised three book-loving introverts. How could I not love this book? With its stunning artwork and heart-warming story, though, I think everyone will love this Perfect Picture Book – whether you’re shy…or not!

9780451474964_p0_v1_s118x184Title: Shy

Written & Illustrated By: Deborah Freedman

Publisher/date: Viking (Penguin Young Readers Group), September 2016

Suitable for Ages: 3-5

Themes/Topics: shyness, friendship, birds, overcoming fear, books

Opening: “Shy was happiest between the pages of a book.”

Brief Synopsis: Shy, a timid creature, hides in books until he hears a songbird sing. He sets out to meet her, and in so doing, faces his fears.

Links to Resources:

  • Have you ever felt shy? Draw or describe a time you felt shy or afraid to do something;
  • Download Shy postcards and a Shy writing page here;
  • Do you have a shy friend or sibling? Describe a time when you encouraged her or him to join an activity or go on an adventure;
  • Learn more about birds and bird songs;
  • Share a favorite book with a friend.

Why I Like this Book:

Shy is a quiet book that presents a character who has read about birds and thinks he will love them, but who has “never actually heard a bird,” and when he does, worries that he may not “know how to talk” to one and “what if” he stuttered, blushed, or…

The gentle story of overcoming one’s fear to find a friend will resonate, I think, with shy children (and adults!) as well as friends and family of shy children. 

With its pastel palette and low word count, Shy is a perfect bedtime story or read-aloud to a class simmering down after lunch or recess.  And I love how the story invites friends to share favorite books together.

To quote a starred Kirkus review, “Freedman’s fine pencil lines, graceful animals, superb compositions, and spare text are virtuosic, but the backgrounds are the soul of Shy’s tale: breathtaking watercolor washes blend hues softly from one section of the natural color spectrum to another, opaquely connoting desert, mountains, skies, dawn, and night.”

A Note about Craft:

“Show don’t tell” – a directive that picture book authors hear again and again. If you’re writing about a shy character who hides in books, how do you show this? A pile of books perhaps? A head poking out of the top of an open book perhaps? Or, perhaps, if you’re the talented Deborah Freedman, you hide the character within the book itself. And what better place to hide a character than smack in the middle of that book – the gutter.  As many shy people disappear in the middle of a classroom, party or other gathering, so Shy hides right in the middle of his own book. Brilliant!

Hiding the main character presents a problem and an opportunity. The problem, of course, is that with your main character less present in the beginning pages, the narrator and illustrations must work harder to help the readers picture and empathize with him or her. At the same time, this is an opportunity, building tension, as your readers and listeners wonder who, or what, the main character is. It’s also an opportunity to drop visual clues, so that when the first reading ends, the reader and listener will want to go back to the beginning and see who is the first to find Shy hiding in plain sight.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Books list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!

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