Shy Vi

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This Violet is aptly named: a wallflower, shrinking-violet sort of mouse. Silent while her siblings squabble and shout, the words she ventures are barely audible--and, in a nice touch, warrant only tiny letters on the printed page. ``Speak up'' she is told, to no avail, until her parents decide that ``we must do something to help our Violet,'' and self-confidence lessons are prescribed. For a moment Violet's words register a flutter on the Richter scale--but only for a moment. She is not miraculously transformed, but succeeds within her own limits--thus bringing a welcome conclusion to this sensitive, humorously told tale (similar in theme to Arthur Levine's Sheep Dreams and Rosemary Wells's Shy Charles ). In his debut, Smith offers artwork that seems to glow from within, its smooth texture giving a soft definition to the pictures. Warmly rendered illustrations bask in an abundance of soft spring colors--pale greens, yellows and pinks--and each page seems orderly, possessing a sense of ``interior design'' as each color choice matches or complements the next. A pleasing look at conquering fears--to a (realistic) point. Ages 4-7. (Apr.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2--Shy Vi has a lot in common with Rosemary Wells's Shy Charles (Dial, 1988). In both stories, the parents are worried about their children and try to help them come out of themselves. In each case, the young mice continue to be true to their natures, and the unstated moral is to accept them as they are. Violet is timid even with her brothers and sisters. She does not want to take self-confidence classes, or voice or acting lessons, but is too shy to say no. The only thing that catches her off guard is her pleasure when she is given a standing ovation after a play: she says ``Thank you!'' very loudly, and then, ``very much,'' in her usual hushed tone. The busy, pastel illustrations are full of action; however, unlike Wells's ink and watercolor pictures that bring out the character of each mouse in Charles's life, all of the mice here look alike. Still, both of these light fantasies may comfort and reassure soft-spoken youngsters. --Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME

Emily Melton

Violet is a shy little mouse who speaks so softly that she's rarely able to make her wishes known. Her parents try everything to help "shy Vi" become more outgoing--self-confidence lessons, voice lessons, acting lessons--but nothing seems to help. Violet continues to speak in her teeny-tiny, shy voice. As a result of the acting lessons, Violet appears in a play, and her parents are certain that she'll finally learn to speak up in order to be heard in the big theater. They don't know Violet is playing a violet and doesn't have to talk--until she decides to. Since nearly every child goes through a period of shyness at one time or another, this should have plenty of appeal and may offer some comfort to the younger set. Smith's charming illustrations are detailed, colorful, and whimsical. A good book to use as a launching point for discussing shyness, either at home or during a library story hour, this might be paired with McCully's very similiar "Speak Up, Blanche".