Parents' Guide to

George Shrinks

By Peter Lewis, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

George adjusts to life on a smaller scale.

Book William Joyce Picture Book 1985
George Shrinks Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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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?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Out of whimsy, 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.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Book Details

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