The Shivers in the Fridge

by Fran Manushkin, Paul O. Zelinsky (Illustrator)

Little, flat Sonny Shivers and his family only know it's cold and dark where they live, and whenever the earth quakes, a monstrous hand, reaching forth in a great flash of light, snatches away part of their landscape —Buttery Cliffs, towering Mt. Ketchup . . . and with the landscape goes his family, one by one, until only Sonny is left to face the monsters. Who are they? What and where is the Shivers family? Children will delight in puzzling it all out before the Shivers do. Fran Manushkin's dry but juicy humor, spiced with food puns, carries this droll saga through shivery perils to a warm reunion on the refrigerator door. As ever, Caldecott-winner Paul O. Zelinsky's wit makes theater of the most improbable situations.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 19, 2006

About the author

Fran Manushkin is the author of more than fifty books for children, including the Katie Woo series; Big Girl Panties, illustrated by Valeria Petrone; Big Sisters Are the Best, illustrated by Kirsten Richards; The Tushy Book, illustrated by Tracy Dockray; and Baby, Come Out!, illustrated by Ronald Himler and translated into eight languages. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Lauren McCurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 out of 5 stars! This fantasy will give you all of the laughs as you try and figure out where the disappearing family members went. The author even uses fun descriptive words like a buttery cliff to describe the food in the fridge. The illustrations are a must-see!

[Amanda Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler alert

This book is a cute read aloud about some magnets that live in the fridge. The family of five fridge magnets provide a perfect opporunity for anyone who likes to read aloud with different voices. The repetitive nature of the story also allows for kids to chime in to the story while you are reading. This story could also be told without the book as a storytelling feature with the audience providing the different things in the fridge that the magnets could explore.

Other lesson opportunities might include inferencing. We do not immediately know that the family is made up of magnets or by covering up the title and letting younger students guess that the family is located in a fridge.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite illustrations but they do work for this fantastic story!!!! I was so surprised by the ending :o) Zoe and I read this book over and over again!!!!!!

[The Book Maven · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Shivers family live in a cold, dark place filled with interesting geographical landmarks (Egg Valley, Buttery Cliff, Horseradish Ridge). Every now and then, they experience an earthquake, and see a monstrous hand come in and reconfigure their landscape. Sonny Shivers wants to change, wants to find a bright, warm, safe place for him and his family to live, but his fearful family clings to the familiar--until the day comes that the monstrous hand dips in and one by one, steals them away until there's only Sonny left. With nothing left to lose, he strikes off on a quest to hopefully find his family and make a new home. (There is a happy ending, don't worry!)

The illustrations are lovely, and while the text is a bit heavy for a picture book, ultimately this is a good little tale about how sometimes we have to abandon what is familiar, and take risks in order to achieve a better life

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

What would it be like to be a tiny family, living in a refrigerator? This is a goofy story complete with landscapes of food, giant human hands, and a twist ending.

Fans of the CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS books/movies will probably enjoy this, although it's a little darker.

Vegan families note: There are several animal products kept in the fridge, along with examples of fresh produce.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is a fun story, but I didn't feel like it was a good storytime read-aloud. I was getting bored by the end of it, not to mention the kiddos watching. I could see it working better as a one-on-one read since it would be easier to point out all the different kinds of foods inside the fridge.

[Justine Liddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book about magnets that get stuck in the the refrigerator instead of on the refrigerator. One by one a family member of the magnet family goes off to find a warmer home, but they never return. They all find each other again, but are they in a warmer place?

[Olivia Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the concept, detail and journey that this little family of shivers encounters as they finally find their perfect home outside the fridge.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading a story about Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast, our 5yo asked about this one again. We had read it months ago, but it is pretty funny.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made a good connection with this and a Mr. Rogers episode on magnets.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Zoey's favorites.

[Richard WSUV]

Published in 2006, this book would be great for motivating students struggling to practice their narrative writing skills. Silly stories such as this may be the wacky motivation needed to get them spinning their own yarns.

[Jacquelyn Arbegast · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a family who lives in a very cold place we know as, the fridge. Throughout the book the members of the Shivers family disappear one by one. At the end, we find out that the family is a bunch of magnets!

[Caroline Petty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun book to read aloud to children. The simple yet unique concept makes it a perfect book to practice making predictions. Even with the title having the words shivers and fridge makes a reader have to think about the temperature of a fridge and how it's similar to other places.It also makes us realize how big we are as people and how much power we have without realizing it. Overall, it's very cute and could definitely be used for quality read-aloud instruction time.

[JustOneMoreBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crankiness, chattering teeth and camouflaged edible architecture make this unusual icebox exodus a surprisingly popular adventure in puns and perspective.

You can listen in on our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book to read aloud to kids. I first ask them if they can predict what the book is about by looking at the front cover. As I read, I'll stop periodically and ask the kids if they have figured out who/what the Shivers are. It's fun to watch the kids faces as I read about "Mt. Ketchup" and "Egg Valley."

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a good book to mirror death and heaven. The youngest boy looses his entire family, has to find his courage inside, and eventually sets out to find them. In the end they are all together outside the fridge happy and warm. Would be great for young students experiencing loose and giving them hope that someday there is the possibility to be together again.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the style of "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," children will delight in the food landscape the Shivers family calls home. Children, as well as adults, will also be drawn into the mystery of why the Shivers live in the fridge and what happens during and after the frequent earthquakes. Paul O. Zelinsky's colorful artwork sets a whimsical tone for the fun story.

[Kalynda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I selected this book, because I thought it would lead to a learning discussion about magnets. Magnets are the main characters, but their magnetic state doesn't really shine in this story. It is more about a young boy misplacing his toys (or in this case, magnets) and the adventures the magnet family goes on to try to get to a warmer location.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!! I only wish this book had a different title, so that there would be an element of mystery. If I were to read this is a storytime, I wouldn't announce the title...let the kids guess what was happening.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

That's an interesting twist of a story. But I liked it. I wonder if the children will pick up on it. The pictures can be a little confusing. But not too bad. It works for Chili/Chilly/Chile. And it's so odd, maybe it will keep their attention.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd, but funny story about a family living in the refrigerator who disappear one by one as people take things out to eat. Silly food themed narrative and funny cartoons make this a good book to read aloud.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Shivers in the Fridge is a story about a family who lives deep within the refrigerator. Bold, bright, and colorful illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky.

Used for "Snacks: Pop Goes the Corn" storytime-April, 2010.

[Carol Gordon Ekster · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a picture book author myself, I am in awe when I read an unusual and fabulous picture book. The Shivers in the Fridge is clever and creative and well written. The illustrations are amazing. Wonderful concept!

[Readergirl77 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute story! Nathan enjoyed the story about the family who lived in the fridge....and how they got out. He was also surprised to find out that the grapes he loves so much were Purple Boulders...hehe.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty unique story about a family of magnets accidentally getting stuck in the fridge. The fridge isn't a nice place to live so each of the family members strike out to find a better place to go.

Nice illustrations.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family living in the fridge bemoans the cold and darkness, and the mysterious monsters who keep taking things. There's a happy ending, though my main question was never answered - how did they get in there in the first place?

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the cutest little children's book I have read in a long time. With a surprise ending it had us all laughing.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with my kids and thought it was quite adorable. I recommend it to anyone with kids :)

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for children's lit class.
This was a cute story. The illustrations were fun and great and it was a nice story about facing fear.