Say Hello, Vanessa

by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, Lillian Hoban

SAY HELLO, VANESSA by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat illustrated by Lillian Hoban 1979 Hardcover 9 x 7 1/4 inches 32 pages Holiday House WEEKLY READER BOOK CLUB

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, Childrens

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Marjorie Weinman Sharmat was an American children's writer. She wrote more than 130 books for children and teens and her books have been translated into several languages. They have won awards including Book of the Year by the Library of Congress or have become selections by the Literary Guild.
Perhaps Sharmat's most popular work features the child detective Nate the Great. He was inspired by and named after her father, who lived to see the first Nate book published. One story, Nate the Great Goes Undercover, was adapted as a made-for-TV movie that won the Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival Award. Sharmat's husband Mitchell Sharmat expanded Nate's storyline by creating Olivia Sharp, his cousin and fellow detective. Husband and wife wrote four Olivia Sharp books published 1989 to 1991. During the 1990s, their son Craig Sharmat (then in his thirties) wrote three Nate books with his mother. In the late 2010s, their other son Andrew Sharmat co-wrote the last two Nate books written while Marjorie Weinman Sharmat was alive. With Marjorie Weinman Sharmat's passing in 2019 Andrew has continued writing the series with Nate the Great and the Earth Day Robot (2021).
In the mid-1980s Sharmat wrote three books published in 1984 and 1985 under the pseudonym Wendy Andrews.
Sharmat also wrote the Sorority Sisters series, eight short novels published in 1986 and 1987. They are romantic fiction with a sense of humor. They are set in a California public high school (day school for ages 14 to 18, approximately).

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vanessa is very shy but after some coaxing and determination on her part, she learns to speak up and make friends.

Illustrations are by Lillian Hoban so enough said on that score! *wink

Ages: 4 - 7

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[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, but *not* helpful. I know from shy, and I know that this is not an effective way to make friends.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those gentle childhood books that have stayed with me and although I may not have remembered the title I can slightly remember the events that happened within. The story is sweet and does strike home to many young children as well as their mothers as they try to get their little ones to socialize but I can imagine how much harder that has become in this time where no one wants to socialize anymore.

The drawings are of the old sort so mostly blackish sketch drawings but whimsical. They truly give the setting of the book as being a bit on the leaning towards the Victorian or even a more modern age with the big house and interesting suits worn by the creatures.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Say Hello, Vanessa is an adorable book about being shy. The illustrations are black-and-white except when they're accented with pink, which is just about the most adorable thing I've ever seen. Vanessa is familiar to me because I was incredibly shy as a child. I think this book would be great for shy children, showing them that even after making a fool out of themselves multiple times, you can still bounce back and make friends.

[Michelle D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely little kids book. My little sister loves it, and makes me read it to her over and over again.

[Aneesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but now is not the time.

[Tracy Poff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vanessa Mouse is terribly shy. She can’t even bring herself to say “hello” to her classmates. Making friends, she thinks, must be the scariest thing in the world! Will Vanessa ever have a friend?

Say Hello, Vanessa, written by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and illustrated by Lillian Hoban, is a children’s picture book, with charming pencil illustrations.

This is a fun one. Poor Vanessa is far too shy to speak to her classmates, worrying that they’ll look at her funny teeth and furry face, and reasoning that, after all, everybody already has enough friends. Her mother convinces her to give it a try, but at first she speaks much too quietly, and afterward much too loudly, to make a friend. Eventually, though, she speaks up in class, spelling a word--tooth--and one thing leads to another, and she makes her first friend, Quincy Moose.

The illustrations are nice–plain and simple pencils with just a bit of pink coloring. The writing is simple and smooth and fun to read, and Vanessa’s very quiet or very loud “hello” is set in a smaller or larger typeface, which is cute.

Say Hello, Vanessa is a fun and worthwhile children’s picture book--certainly worth a look.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book about a shy mouse that I remember my mom reading to me as a child! I've never been a shy mouse...and my children aren't really shy either, but it's nice to sometimes read books about people who are different from you!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote my first book report on this story about a timid little mouse who's bookishness sometimes got in the way of making friends. Hmmmm.

[Vanessa G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first grade teacher gave me this book about a shy little mouse named Vanessa who liked to read.

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A shy little mouse named Vanessa comes out of her shell in this adorable tale from my childhood. This was one of my favorites as a small child, Vanessa being so endearing and easy to relate to.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought used from the library lobby.