 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
George Shrinks
- By William Joyce
- Genre: Picture Book
Common Sense Media says
George adjusts to life on a smaller scale.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the Lilliputian world works its magic here with flair as George sets about discovering how to enjoy himself on a small scale.
What's the story?
The world suddenly gets very big for George, who wakes from his nap to find he is a literal pint-size lad, in William Joyce's picture book. But he takes to his new circumstances with a sportiness that becomes him, feeding the goldfish while riding on their backs and taking his model plane for a spin to catch some fresh air.
Is it any good?
Out of whimsy, William Joyce silently spins a tale with this golden rule as a moral: Take the most confusing, improbable, and even potentially menacing situations presented to you by life, and run with them. Show some panache and watch how fear melts into the air, or at least gets a good counterpunch. George has a catching zest that gets him into both fun and trouble, and, as such folk often have, a guardian angel is looking over his shoulder.
Almost the entire text is the note left by George's parents, so it is his response to their commands -- demonstrated in the artwork -- that motors this book forth. Drawn from the perspective of George's reduced circumstances, the illustrations allow readers to be mouse-size for a minute, to see new details in a familiar world gone suddenly strange.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what it would be like to be George's tiny size. How would you get around the house? What new things would you be able to do at that size? What would you no longer be able to do?
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| Author: | William Joyce |
| Illustrator: | William Joyce |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Picture Book |
| Publisher: | HarperTrophy |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1985 |
| Number of pages: | 26 |
| Paperback price: | $6.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 4 - 7 |
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