Just a little shy (Little Miss Library: Little Miss Shy - Roger Hargreaves)

Member Name: MI9to5

Product:	Little Miss Library: Little Miss Shy - Roger Hargreaves
Date:	28/10/08 (122 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Colourful pictures

Disadvantages: N/A

The Little Miss Series of books written by Roger Hargreaves began in 1981 with Little Bossy and now includes 33 books each written about a different and colourful Little Miss character. Some are definitely more famous than others but they are all without a doubt extremely popular and well loved.

Little Miss Shy is number 10 in the Little Miss collection and is one of the less well-known Little Miss characters. This could be for many different reasons but is most likely because other characters are much more saleable in a merchandise sort of way and therefore they are the ones that ultimately spring to mind when you think of the Little Miss characters. Whatever the reason I still love Little Shy and think her story is one of the best because of the moral that it holds for children.

Little Miss Shy is a roundish character, blue in colour with black stringy hair on her head. She has a blue circular nose and bright pink cheeks. This is the picture of her that we see on the front of the book. Above this picture is her name written in black, block capitals. The reverse of the book has on it pictures of all the other Little Miss characters in the series so that you can keep track of which you have bought and which you have yet to purchase.

Little Miss Star's story begins by telling us that Little Miss Shy was so shy that it hurt. If anyone said anything to her she blushed like a beetroot. The thought of going shopping even terrified Little Miss Shy and so she grew her own food in the garden of her cottage, which was far from anywhere else. One day the postman knocked on the door with a letter for Little Miss Shy but being so shy Little Miss Shy hid under the table and didn't come out until long after the postman had pushed the letter under the door and left.

The letter was from Mr Funny and was an invite to his birthday party. Oh dear being shy Little Miss Shy was horrified and felt that she couldn't go because there would be people there. The next morning however she had decided that she must go because it would be impolite not to but five minutes later she had changed her mind and then five minutes later she had changed her mind again. Would Little Miss Shy go to the party? If so what would happen and if not what would happen?

The story is printed in the same way as all the others in the series with writing on the left hand side of the book and bright, colourful and cheery pictures on the right. These pictures make it easy for younger children to follow the story being told. The writing itself is of a decent size so as to be easily read by young children and their parents or grandparents without difficulty. It is also written in a style that makes the story simple enough for a child to read but not too simplistic as to patronise a more confident reader or slightly older child.

The story itself really is a lovely one and teaches children that they shouldn't really be shy because there is no reason for it and that on the whole people are generally very nice and friendly. I think therefore that this is a great book for young children, as many do feel shy about going to party's and this book teaches them that there is really no reason to be.

Little Miss Shy can readily be purchased from most good bookshops. Its RRP is around the £2.50 mark but supermarkets and online retailers generally sell it for less. But whatever the price it is certainly worth it.

Summary: A great character and a great story