Shrinking Violet

When class bully Irwin taunts Violet about her fat knees (they're not) or deadly sewer gas smell (she doesn't), all she wants to do is shrink away. The thought of being in the class play about the solar system makes her itch and scratch and twirl her hair. But when she's alone or with her best friend, Opal, Violet is a master performer, mimicking her classmates and retaliating against Irwin with razor-sharp wit. Her chance for real-life revenge comes at last during the play, when she plays the offstage role of Lady Space. On opening night, when Irwin, a.k.a. Mars, starts to spin out of control and forgets his lines, Violet saves the day (but not without a little of her savage humor).

Cari Best and Giselle Potter, whimsical creators of Three Cheers for Catherine the Great!, bring every shy child's fantasy to life in this delightfully gratifying picture book. Potter's naive watercolors are unusual, but they capture beautifully the shrinking and subsequent blooming of Violet as she finds her own voice, even if it is spoken from a "dark and mysterious place" offstage. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter