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Serendipity
Shimmeree
Book by Stephen Cosgrove
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
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193 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 22, 2024
Cute. I have read books in this series before as a child, but not this one. I think I would have enjoyed it better if I had Nostalgia Goggles TM when reading this one.
3, not bad and a quick read, stars.
3, not bad and a quick read, stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2024
I read this as a young child and absolutely treasured it. I believe I have my copy somewhere in my bookshelves…
July 3, 2017
This was definitely one of my most favorite of the Serendipity series while I can remember the pictures as if I had just read it the other day.
This is probably the most fantastical world that Cosgrove created while its creatures are very memorable, especially with the illustrations provided. This is definitely one to book to enjoy for a very long time to come.
This is probably the most fantastical world that Cosgrove created while its creatures are very memorable, especially with the illustrations provided. This is definitely one to book to enjoy for a very long time to come.
March 25, 2018
Shimmeree Fits my idea of a quintessential Serendipity book: fantastic land, beautiful creatures, moral at the end (not as heavy-handed as some…).
May 26, 2020
Lovely illustrations
August 15, 2024
I used to have a copy of this back in the 1990s. I enjoyed the art more than the story -- except for the very last image. That didn't make a damn bit of sense.
Now, let me back up a bit. I really enjoyed the idea of an alternative world where everything is made of diamonds and crystals, and there were only three basic colors. Although the birds looked laughably goofy, the little lizard-things were pretty cool.
And then, there were the winged horsey animals. They were the most realistic ... well, realistic for a fantasy creature. They appeared like stretched out Arabians with only half a tail. Robin James lightly dappled the metal-grey critters, which is a very hard effect to pull off.
So, Our Heroine Shimmeree finds a pile of dirt with a seed in it. This has never appeared in Crystal World before -- even though all of the creatures somehow knew about dirt, and recognized what a seed looked like. Hmmm....
Shimmeree spends most of the little book protecting the seed, and subsequent rose, from the other creatures.
So, what is the last image? Shimmeree flying away WITH THE BITTEN OFF ROSE IN HER MOUTH. Effectively, she just killed the very thing she'd been protecting.
That.
Makes.
No.
Sense.
I'm hoping that the last image was Robin James' comment on the story.
You can puzzle over this by reading this book on The Open Library.
Now, let me back up a bit. I really enjoyed the idea of an alternative world where everything is made of diamonds and crystals, and there were only three basic colors. Although the birds looked laughably goofy, the little lizard-things were pretty cool.
And then, there were the winged horsey animals. They were the most realistic ... well, realistic for a fantasy creature. They appeared like stretched out Arabians with only half a tail. Robin James lightly dappled the metal-grey critters, which is a very hard effect to pull off.
So, Our Heroine Shimmeree finds a pile of dirt with a seed in it. This has never appeared in Crystal World before -- even though all of the creatures somehow knew about dirt, and recognized what a seed looked like. Hmmm....
Shimmeree spends most of the little book protecting the seed, and subsequent rose, from the other creatures.
So, what is the last image? Shimmeree flying away WITH THE BITTEN OFF ROSE IN HER MOUTH. Effectively, she just killed the very thing she'd been protecting.
That.
Makes.
No.
Sense.
I'm hoping that the last image was Robin James' comment on the story.
You can puzzle over this by reading this book on The Open Library.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2012
This is one of my favorite books from when I was little, and I've just re-read it as my October 2012 selection for the Forever Free book club.
The Serendipity series of children's books is a fabulous series written by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James. They all have a moral at the end, but are in no way preachy. I read many of them when I was little, but Shimmeree was one of my most favorites. The (very short) story is about a crystal horse—in the book, the species is known as lightasours—who lives in a world made of crystal, gold and diamonds where nothing unusual ever happens. When Shimmeree one day discovers something new and different, the other inhabitants of the world are disturbed and frightened.
Shimmeree soon realizes that this new thing is actually something precious and protects it from being destroyed by her friends. In doing so, she also helps her friends see that just because it is new and unknown doesn't meant that it is dangerous. The moral of this story? Differences aren't dangers. A very good lesson to learn when you're little.
The Serendipity series of children's books is a fabulous series written by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James. They all have a moral at the end, but are in no way preachy. I read many of them when I was little, but Shimmeree was one of my most favorites. The (very short) story is about a crystal horse—in the book, the species is known as lightasours—who lives in a world made of crystal, gold and diamonds where nothing unusual ever happens. When Shimmeree one day discovers something new and different, the other inhabitants of the world are disturbed and frightened.
Shimmeree soon realizes that this new thing is actually something precious and protects it from being destroyed by her friends. In doing so, she also helps her friends see that just because it is new and unknown doesn't meant that it is dangerous. The moral of this story? Differences aren't dangers. A very good lesson to learn when you're little.
June 30, 2015
A nostalgic trip back into my childhood - invoked first by the musty scent of this pre-loved hardcover, with its bright and cheerful, saturated colours.
The writer, Cosgrove, certainly has a lyrical flow to his words, evoking imagery with his descriptions - imagery that is reflected in the delightful illustrations by Robin James.
In the crystal land where lightasoars and other magical beasts roam, all is translucent in blues and whites. Until the day a seed appears, its strangeness bringing with it fear. But one small lightasoar, Shimmeree, does not fear this strange new thing - instead she nurtures it and brings some colour into their sparkling world.
"...You had nothing to fear but fear itself..."
The writer, Cosgrove, certainly has a lyrical flow to his words, evoking imagery with his descriptions - imagery that is reflected in the delightful illustrations by Robin James.
In the crystal land where lightasoars and other magical beasts roam, all is translucent in blues and whites. Until the day a seed appears, its strangeness bringing with it fear. But one small lightasoar, Shimmeree, does not fear this strange new thing - instead she nurtures it and brings some colour into their sparkling world.
"...You had nothing to fear but fear itself..."
December 18, 2020
So, if among your travels you
find a thing a think unknown, think
of crystal Shimmeree and
the seed that she was shown.
Quite the charming little illustrated children's book. We picked up a few of these in a local charity shop and I have just rediscovered them on the shelf.
When Shimmeree finds a dull and dusty seed in the kingdom made of crystal she must defy the elders to protect it when their fear makes them want to destroy it.
find a thing a think unknown, think
of crystal Shimmeree and
the seed that she was shown.
Quite the charming little illustrated children's book. We picked up a few of these in a local charity shop and I have just rediscovered them on the shelf.
When Shimmeree finds a dull and dusty seed in the kingdom made of crystal she must defy the elders to protect it when their fear makes them want to destroy it.
July 14, 2018
My favorite from childhood. I still tell it orally to my toddler now.
February 19, 2025
Oh, I remember these books. I was fortunate enough to be gifted a whole stack in my childhood and they were each a short little treasure with such lovely illustrations.
Shimmeree definitely stands out in my memory with its sparkling crystal world and the fear the characters had in the unknown. Most children's books had a moral at the end, but this one played it a little more lightly. I enjoyed it immensely. 5/5
Shimmeree definitely stands out in my memory with its sparkling crystal world and the fear the characters had in the unknown. Most children's books had a moral at the end, but this one played it a little more lightly. I enjoyed it immensely. 5/5
April 13, 2024
I picked this up from the thrift store yesterday. Super cute. Great illustrations. Very 70's.
October 27, 2025
This is a great 📙 book to teach not to be afraid of something that looks different to the reader.
November 10, 2025
Read this book as a child and one of my kids is reading it and enjoys it as well. Can’t believe it was only 1.95 back then!
October 4, 2016
Oddly charmless. Maybe it's because I read this one for the first time as an adult, although my favorite Serendipity books hold up to multiple rereads. Robin James draws extraordinarily beautiful horses - Shimmeree being no exception - and usually the quality of the art saves the less creative stories. The character design in this book, though, misses the mark.
Shimmeree's world is described as one that's entirely made out of crystal, glass, and diamonds. When some dirt and a seed somehow appear in the land, the creatures fear it because it's different from anything else they've seen. One of the major complaints is that "you can't see through it like crystal," which means "it just has to be evil."
Except you can't see through anything else in the illustrations, either. None of the creatures look like they're made out of crystal, glass, or diamonds: Shimmeree looks like an entirely ordinary horse, with blue wings.
The ending is also strangely anticlimactic, and the moral falls flat. Not their best work.
Shimmeree's world is described as one that's entirely made out of crystal, glass, and diamonds. When some dirt and a seed somehow appear in the land, the creatures fear it because it's different from anything else they've seen. One of the major complaints is that "you can't see through it like crystal," which means "it just has to be evil."
Except you can't see through anything else in the illustrations, either. None of the creatures look like they're made out of crystal, glass, or diamonds: Shimmeree looks like an entirely ordinary horse, with blue wings.
The ending is also strangely anticlimactic, and the moral falls flat. Not their best work.
November 17, 2016
Basic Plot: Something new comes to a world of crystal and Shimmeree decides to protect it instead of fear it.
When I was a small child, I discovered the Serendipity books through the school book order program. I collected as many as I could over the years. My mother recently dug these books out of storage and I'm now re-discovering them by reading them with my son. They still hold a lot of the original magic, which is wonderful.
There's really something to the very obvious moral of this story that appeals to me. Just because something is new and different doesn't mean that it's a bad thing. People react badly to change- with a lot of fear and violence- and it simply isn't necessary.
I could have done without the re-naming of pegasi to lightasoars (which was really just a silly name), but the art for the book is just gorgeous, so I can forgive a few silly words. The book uses a lot better vocabulary than a lot of the books my son typically reads, so I view this as positive. Anything that can grow his vocabulary is a bonus in my book.
When I was a small child, I discovered the Serendipity books through the school book order program. I collected as many as I could over the years. My mother recently dug these books out of storage and I'm now re-discovering them by reading them with my son. They still hold a lot of the original magic, which is wonderful.
There's really something to the very obvious moral of this story that appeals to me. Just because something is new and different doesn't mean that it's a bad thing. People react badly to change- with a lot of fear and violence- and it simply isn't necessary.
I could have done without the re-naming of pegasi to lightasoars (which was really just a silly name), but the art for the book is just gorgeous, so I can forgive a few silly words. The book uses a lot better vocabulary than a lot of the books my son typically reads, so I view this as positive. Anything that can grow his vocabulary is a bonus in my book.
March 10, 2024
The story takes the reader into a magical, crystal world. Flying horses, beaming lizards and glimmering birds. The style and the color of the illustrations are captivating. Readers of all ages will love them! The story is touching I don’t want to spoil it. Please read for yourself I cherished this book since childhood. 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
September 22, 2015
I loved this story growing up, and has a high place in my memory, which makes me still smile just to see the cover. It's a beautifully illustrated tale that deserves to be shared with your young loved ones.
November 25, 2008
Most favorite of them all!
January 23, 2009
i LOVED all of these books when i was a child and would read them over and over, but i believe this one was in my top 3.
March 17, 2011
One of my all-time favorite children's book!
Great story/moral, beautiful illustrations!!
Great story/moral, beautiful illustrations!!
September 9, 2014
I recommend this book to kids of all ages, it's a great choice for story time, and teaches kids impressive life lessons.
December 6, 2014
I have lovely memories of this book but particularly the amazing illustrations. One of several that I'll never forget from childhood.
October 7, 2016
great book to read to children
November 4, 2012
A childhood fav.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews