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Maude: The Not-So-Noticeable Shrimpton
Lauren Child teams up with a debut illustrator to tell a cautionary tale about the surprising perils of craving constant attention.
Meet the Shrimpton family — so talented, so eccentric, so larger than life, you couldn’t miss them if you wanted to. Mrs. Shrimpton wears flamboyant hats, and Mr. Shrimpton’s moustache makes quite a statement. The youngsters each have a stand-out quality: beauty, dancing, singing, a sense of humor that’s a laugh a minute. Indeed, the Shrimptons live to be noticed — all that is, except Maude, who prefers to blend into the wallpaper. But when Maude receives a ferocious tiger for her birthday instead of the goldfish she asked for, might her talent for blending in come in handy? With stylized artwork evoking both Vogue magazine and Edward Gorey, here is a story to bring a smile to all the quiet stars among us.
Meet the Shrimpton family — so talented, so eccentric, so larger than life, you couldn’t miss them if you wanted to. Mrs. Shrimpton wears flamboyant hats, and Mr. Shrimpton’s moustache makes quite a statement. The youngsters each have a stand-out quality: beauty, dancing, singing, a sense of humor that’s a laugh a minute. Indeed, the Shrimptons live to be noticed — all that is, except Maude, who prefers to blend into the wallpaper. But when Maude receives a ferocious tiger for her birthday instead of the goldfish she asked for, might her talent for blending in come in handy? With stylized artwork evoking both Vogue magazine and Edward Gorey, here is a story to bring a smile to all the quiet stars among us.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Child
452 books837 followersLauren Child MBE is an English author and illustrator. She was the UK Children's Laureate from 2017-19.
Child grew up in Wiltshire as the middle child of three sisters and the daughter of two teachers. She has always been interested in the many aspects of childhood, from gazing into toy shop windows to watching American children's shows from the 1960s. After attending two Art Schools, she travelled for six months, still unsure about which career to embark upon.
Before writing and illustrating children's books Child started her own company 'Chandeliers for the People' making lampshades. It was only when she came to write and illustrate the book Clarice Bean, That's Me that she decided to devote her time to writing and illustrating books for children, which combines her fascination for childhood and her talent for designing and creating. Child gets her inspiration from other people's conversations or from seeing something funny happen.
Her book I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato won the 2000 Kate Greenaway Medal. For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005), a panel named it one of the top ten winning works, which comprised the shortlist for a public vote for the nation's favourite. It finished third in the public vote from that shortlist.
Child lives in North London.
Child grew up in Wiltshire as the middle child of three sisters and the daughter of two teachers. She has always been interested in the many aspects of childhood, from gazing into toy shop windows to watching American children's shows from the 1960s. After attending two Art Schools, she travelled for six months, still unsure about which career to embark upon.
Before writing and illustrating children's books Child started her own company 'Chandeliers for the People' making lampshades. It was only when she came to write and illustrate the book Clarice Bean, That's Me that she decided to devote her time to writing and illustrating books for children, which combines her fascination for childhood and her talent for designing and creating. Child gets her inspiration from other people's conversations or from seeing something funny happen.
Her book I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato won the 2000 Kate Greenaway Medal. For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005), a panel named it one of the top ten winning works, which comprised the shortlist for a public vote for the nation's favourite. It finished third in the public vote from that shortlist.
Child lives in North London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
October 10, 2020
In a flamboyant family that loves being noticed, Maude stands out by fading into the background. And, this works out well for her. Very well, in fact.
I loved the artwork in this one. Trisha Krauss uses multiple patterns and vivid colors, yet doesn't overwhelm the viewer with too much activity - a tough feat for many an illustrator.
I also love that Maude has more than a passing resemblance to famous model Jean Shrimpton.
And, I especially love the dark, dark ending. Yum!
I loved the artwork in this one. Trisha Krauss uses multiple patterns and vivid colors, yet doesn't overwhelm the viewer with too much activity - a tough feat for many an illustrator.
I also love that Maude has more than a passing resemblance to famous model Jean Shrimpton.
And, I especially love the dark, dark ending. Yum!
January 15, 2017
This is a very odd story about a family of narcissists who want to always be in the spotlight. Alone in her desire to merely blend into the background, is Maude.
The narrative is somewhat entertaining, but it ends so abruptly, I was sure that I missed something. The highlight of the book are the terrific illustrations, especially in the way that Maude's outfits fade into the backgrounds. We enjoyed reading this book together.
The narrative is somewhat entertaining, but it ends so abruptly, I was sure that I missed something. The highlight of the book are the terrific illustrations, especially in the way that Maude's outfits fade into the backgrounds. We enjoyed reading this book together.
July 28, 2013
Sometimes it seems as though the world is filled with individuals craving attention, and everyone wants to get noticed. In this delightful picture book, being able to blend into the background is what saves Maude Shrimpton. The rest of the Shrimpton family, including her parents and four siblings, relish the limelight and attention, but no one pays attention to Maude who "moved so inconspicuously that when she performed in her school play, people thought she was part of the scenery" (upaged). After the family ignores her request for a goldfish as a birthday present, the tiger they purchase instead makes them wish they were not noticeable. The book's message is important, offered against an appealing decorative art palette showing the self-absorption of the shrimptons and their surroundings. I rather liked Maude's quietness.
August 22, 2013
The art is glorious. My eyes were delighted to rest on each page. Each member of the Shrimpton family has unique visual traits. The father's mustache is so beautifully curved that birds like to sit on it. Maude's brilliance is in how she blends in, compared to the rest of her breed's need to stand out. This would be a good discussion starter with lower school students.
July 25, 2013
Sometimes it pays to be inconspicuous. A great cautionary for those with a constant craving for attention. Wonderfully distinctive and stylish illustrations by Trisha Krauss.
April 10, 2018
In the age of Kardashians-Jenners family drama, this debut by Lauren Child finds a home. The Shrimpton family embodies the idea of personal celebrity, now a familiar concept across generations worldwide. Readers first see them in a framed photograph, as they ensure their best sides are showing while jostling each other for prominence. However, middle daughter Maude is the exception—she literally blends in with the scenery. There are many stories about being true to oneself, and (unlike Maude) this one stands out, for both its stylishness and its gleefully wicked ending.
November 18, 2019
Fun artwork.
June 27, 2015
I stumbled across this darkly humorous book at the library while I was looking for another written by Lauren Child. I was drawn in by the pictures (the book is illustrated by Trisha Krauss) which are stylish and unique, filled with bold texture and color, and unlike any I have seen in a children’s picture book before.
I love stories that can appeal to both children and tothe adults who read to them, and Child has written this one to do just that. Maude, the main character, comes from a family of attention-seekers. They all have a special talent that makes them stand out in a crowd, but Maude is different. She prefers to go unnoticed. Maude is pitied for her blandness but, when she receives an unusual gift (one she didn’t ask for), it turns out she is quite lucky to be inconspicuous. I appreciated the audacious irony Child uses as a curtain for unveiling the lesson that sometimes “not being noticeable is the very best talent of all.”
My children have been choosing this book as a bedtime read-aloud each night since we brought it home from the library. They love looking for Maude in each of the pictures (as Krauss has cleverly drawn her to blend into the background of the pictures). As a parent and teacher, I appreciate the wonderfully descriptive vocabulary used by Child to describe each of the characters.
This book is clever and entertaining, and just a little bit dark. A perfect pick for your next library visit! This review was originally posted on my blog Get Your Book On
I love stories that can appeal to both children and tothe adults who read to them, and Child has written this one to do just that. Maude, the main character, comes from a family of attention-seekers. They all have a special talent that makes them stand out in a crowd, but Maude is different. She prefers to go unnoticed. Maude is pitied for her blandness but, when she receives an unusual gift (one she didn’t ask for), it turns out she is quite lucky to be inconspicuous. I appreciated the audacious irony Child uses as a curtain for unveiling the lesson that sometimes “not being noticeable is the very best talent of all.”
My children have been choosing this book as a bedtime read-aloud each night since we brought it home from the library. They love looking for Maude in each of the pictures (as Krauss has cleverly drawn her to blend into the background of the pictures). As a parent and teacher, I appreciate the wonderfully descriptive vocabulary used by Child to describe each of the characters.
This book is clever and entertaining, and just a little bit dark. A perfect pick for your next library visit! This review was originally posted on my blog Get Your Book On
November 5, 2016
I'm a quiet person myself. And I like being not-so-noticeable. Fortunately I don't live with ppl as narcissistic as Maude's family, otherwise I might just have fantasies like this.... Brilliant, imo. Although, yes, you probably want to preview it before you give it to your youngster. And be aware that it's subtle & sophisticated and not for tots.
Interestingly, though the art does have a lot in common with Child's own, she didn't do it. I wonder if part of the reason is to alert us that this is not quite typical of most of her works.
Interestingly, though the art does have a lot in common with Child's own, she didn't do it. I wonder if part of the reason is to alert us that this is not quite typical of most of her works.
April 21, 2017
This book may not be perfect, but there is something that keeps drawing me to it. : ) It's sophisticated, both in art and language. I love when picture books sprinkle in some nice vocabulary words. Steig did this alot. In a way, it reminds me of that song/skit from the ol' FREE TO BE YOU AND ME soundtrack, "Ladies First, Ladies First... And she was." It certainly won't be for everyone, but for this NYer it hit the spot.
January 26, 2014
I loved this. I'd say it's a modern day Tiger Who Came To Tea. The moral to the story is that it's not always good to be a noticebox. So good I bought this book.
February 29, 2020
Maude is the middle child in a family that loves to be the center of attention. Her mother wears extravagant hats that give people no choice but to look in her direction. Maude's father has a mustache that twirls and reaches immense lengths. Her sister is eye dropping gorgeous and turns heads at every opportunity given. Her little sister has the voice of an angel that sings to the birds. Her brothers have the ability to tap dance fantastically or tell jokes that leave you clenching your sides. Not as hard as he's clenching his, of course. Basically, everywhere her family goes, they are the main attraction and thrive on being so. However, not Maude. She on the other hand consistently blends in with the background and goes unnoticed. She is frowned upon as the middle child who didn't amount to much and is always forgotten about in the Shrimpton family. When her birthday rolls around, her family members begin to ask what out of this world gift Maude would like. To no surprise, Maude simply wanted a goldfish to have as her own pet. Her parents, not taking a hint, enlarged her wishes within their heads and shopped accordingly to what they felt was a suitable birthday gift instead. Sadly, Maude did not open a goldfish on her birthday but instead a full grown tiger. The pet drew a significant amount of attention and was the Shrimpton families newest big attention grasping attraction. Maude was all but impressed and surely not pleased. One day, when the tiger ran out of food, he became hungry and began to attack the Shrimpton family. Each of their crazy appearances and talents captured the tigers interest and made them more noticeable as a meal. Luckily for Maude, being invisible came as a reward this time as the tiger failed to notice her as she was used to. This ended the story with the realization that sometimes being unnoticed is a blessing after all.
Characters:
Maude's parents: pressuring, narcissistic, attention seeking, self-absorbed, and solely worried about their needs and interests.
Maude's siblings: beautiful, talented, and interested in materialistic objects. They fill more of the role of a parent pleaser and followed in the footsteps of their mother and father.
Maude: Down to earth, shy, quiet, forgotten, lonely, sad, and in the background of a family that has entirely different priorities than her. She keeps to herself and finds joy in the simple things rather than the attention of others.
Text Structure: The text structure was super unique. The adjectives were written in bold or in a cursive font. The size of the text varied depending on the tone and sound level of the scenario. In one part of the story, Maude is talking quietly and the words are written in a small font coming from her mouth. The author did an awesome job of highlighting big and interesting words while using the font to add to the story representation she was attempting to achieve. The text never followed a consistent structure nor did it always appear on the same spot of each page. However, the text always surrounded the characters and never interrupted their illustrative path.
I loved how this book drew attention to someone who isn't always in the spotlight. I think it's common to feel out of place or looked past at a young age so it's a great uplifting story to make kids see the positive of not seeking attention. There was nothing I really disliked about the book. The illustrations were awesome and the story was cute and easy to follow. I loved how the author made Maude the same pattern as the background in every photo to give a visual metaphorical example of her being hard to see in the midst of her family.
I think this book would be a great vocabulary lesson initiator. I would first circle up my classroom and read this novel. Afterwards, I would pass around documents that contain all of the vocabulary words within the text to assess what the students already know and which words they still need to learn. Next, the classroom would be split into small groups and given dictionaries to define the given words. Lastly, the students will use the word in an example and share their sentence out with the class so I can assess that their understanding is correct.
I also think it would be a great introduction into nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Given all of the describing words, it would be easy to find what every one of the bold words have in common. From there, students can draw their own conclusions on adjectives before being given the true definition from me.
This book was super cute and would be an awesome incorporation in a younger classroom.
Characters:
Maude's parents: pressuring, narcissistic, attention seeking, self-absorbed, and solely worried about their needs and interests.
Maude's siblings: beautiful, talented, and interested in materialistic objects. They fill more of the role of a parent pleaser and followed in the footsteps of their mother and father.
Maude: Down to earth, shy, quiet, forgotten, lonely, sad, and in the background of a family that has entirely different priorities than her. She keeps to herself and finds joy in the simple things rather than the attention of others.
Text Structure: The text structure was super unique. The adjectives were written in bold or in a cursive font. The size of the text varied depending on the tone and sound level of the scenario. In one part of the story, Maude is talking quietly and the words are written in a small font coming from her mouth. The author did an awesome job of highlighting big and interesting words while using the font to add to the story representation she was attempting to achieve. The text never followed a consistent structure nor did it always appear on the same spot of each page. However, the text always surrounded the characters and never interrupted their illustrative path.
I loved how this book drew attention to someone who isn't always in the spotlight. I think it's common to feel out of place or looked past at a young age so it's a great uplifting story to make kids see the positive of not seeking attention. There was nothing I really disliked about the book. The illustrations were awesome and the story was cute and easy to follow. I loved how the author made Maude the same pattern as the background in every photo to give a visual metaphorical example of her being hard to see in the midst of her family.
I think this book would be a great vocabulary lesson initiator. I would first circle up my classroom and read this novel. Afterwards, I would pass around documents that contain all of the vocabulary words within the text to assess what the students already know and which words they still need to learn. Next, the classroom would be split into small groups and given dictionaries to define the given words. Lastly, the students will use the word in an example and share their sentence out with the class so I can assess that their understanding is correct.
I also think it would be a great introduction into nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Given all of the describing words, it would be easy to find what every one of the bold words have in common. From there, students can draw their own conclusions on adjectives before being given the true definition from me.
This book was super cute and would be an awesome incorporation in a younger classroom.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2018
All of the members of the Shrimpton family love to be noticed, except for Maude. She prefers to blend into the background, and that bothers her family. This was an amusing "cautionary tale," as Lauren Child calls it.
The text in this picture book is a bit wordy to begin with, but is worth reading through. Text and illustrations are both very vibrant. Similar to Lauren Child's other books, Child uses lots of adjectives that paint a picture of the Shrimptons and their showy personalities, and the fonts and the patterns in which the words are displayed also show that. I also particularly loved Trisha Krauss's illustrations and how she made Maude really fade into the background with her clothing. Maude's facial expressions are also amusing to watch and add another layer to the story (especially the last page).
All in all, I'd give this book a 4.5. It's clever and would be the perfect read for a very specific type of child.
The text in this picture book is a bit wordy to begin with, but is worth reading through. Text and illustrations are both very vibrant. Similar to Lauren Child's other books, Child uses lots of adjectives that paint a picture of the Shrimptons and their showy personalities, and the fonts and the patterns in which the words are displayed also show that. I also particularly loved Trisha Krauss's illustrations and how she made Maude really fade into the background with her clothing. Maude's facial expressions are also amusing to watch and add another layer to the story (especially the last page).
All in all, I'd give this book a 4.5. It's clever and would be the perfect read for a very specific type of child.
April 29, 2019
Unexpectedly delightful, thanks mostly to the pacing and a flawless final panel. It's unbalanced until that point, too any Shimptons, not enough Maude, although the vibrant and stylized art is an engaging contrast to the the camouflaged protagonist. The only thing I'm really not sold on is the quirky typesetting; it could work to make the text more engaging to a young audience, but it's too illegible for that; it feels instead like a gimmick.
February 4, 2017
I love Lauren Child. I wish she would have illustrated this herself. I think it would have been perfect with her fun illustrations.
Also, can Maude's parents be my parents around my birthday? I'd love to get a pet tiger for my birthday ;-)
Also, can Maude's parents be my parents around my birthday? I'd love to get a pet tiger for my birthday ;-)
May 8, 2017
Such a weird book! The family wants be in the spotlight and Maude does not want to be. Maude blends in. In the end Maude is the only one not eaten by the tiger because she blends in. Might read aloud for a silly book, but also so very strange!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2017
A cautionary tale that warns of the dangers of narcissism and that sometimes being inconspicuous has its benefits. Parents may want to read this one first before passing it on to their children, as the twist ending is quite dark. My 6 year old, however, though the ending was hilarious.
December 1, 2018
It's always the quiet ones you have to watch and be aware of they say, always the quiet ones and that is the essence of this little picture book from Lauren Child, another winner from a very good author, with some nice humour and a good story well told.
August 6, 2019
Weird. Fun. Weirdly fun with just a splash of horror.
Maude's family constantly seeks attention, but Maude wants no part of it. When she gets a surprising birthday gift, will she finally be able to fade completely into the background?
No explicit violence, but a lot is left unsaid.
Maude's family constantly seeks attention, but Maude wants no part of it. When she gets a surprising birthday gift, will she finally be able to fade completely into the background?
No explicit violence, but a lot is left unsaid.
July 1, 2024
It's very cool to see what another illustrator does with text by Child. Very successful pairing. Krauss' work isn't at all imitative, but she makes fabulous use of patterns in a way that's perfect for the text. I feel like fans of Dahl will love this.
Library copy
Library copy
November 3, 2024
Generally I found the book to be very simple. Now for those who want to read something with a lot of flair and depth this may not be the novel for you. But if you want something simple, light and unique then I would recommend this book
May 8, 2017
Talk about a plot twist, man.
August 23, 2017
This is the best children's book ever.
September 4, 2017
I really like the art and word choice in the book. Great vocab builder along with different fonts for emphasis.
February 24, 2018
Unexpected, just the way I like it!
February 28, 2018
Bahahaha. This ending. Ridiculous. This book is absurd!
And yet I loved it, the way I always love a Lauren Child picture book.
PS - The word choice is delightful!
And yet I loved it, the way I always love a Lauren Child picture book.
PS - The word choice is delightful!
May 23, 2018
Thought there was more to it but really enjoyed it. Pretty relative to peeps sometimes. (Lol)
June 28, 2018
This is delightfully dark and twisted. I’m not going to be reading it to my groups of kindergarten and grade 1 though.
June 29, 2018
I love the illustrations!!!
April 21, 2019
A very odd book, but so creative, eccentric and weird that I had to give it 4 stars for its strange tale. It reminded me of the eccentricity of a family like “The Royal Tenenbaums.”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews