Boris and the Wrong Shadow

by Leigh Hodgkinson

Boris the cat wakes up to find that he has the shadow of a mouse and sets out to solve the mystery and show a small friend that you do not have to be big to be a superstar, in a story complimented with collage illustrations written by the author of Boris and the Snoozebox.

Genres: Picture Books, Cats, Fiction, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Friendship

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Leigh is the author and illustrator of Goldilocks and Just the One Bear and illustrator of the Magical Mix-Ups series.

Leigh is an award-winning animator and worked as art director on the BAFTA-award winning animated series, Charlie and Lola.

She is also an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, who is absolutely passionate about writing, making things up and daydreaming. Among her many brilliant picture books is Don’t Dip Your Chips in Your Drink, Kate, written by Caryl Hart, which won Highly Commended in the 2010 Sheffield Children’s Book Award, Picture Book Category.

Leigh lives and works in Surrey and is married with a baby daughter.

Reviews

[Mr. Cody · Rating 1 out of 5]

Using the word "stupid" to describe something undesirable is a major offense, in my opinion. When I see that word being used as an insult, the author comes across as being out-of-touch. The artwork of this book is exciting and eye-appealing, but the story falls flat and I simply can't support an author who sets a bad example for children.

[Melaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

First, the word "stupid" is in this book. I think that is HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE for a children's book. We don't use or say that word in our house.
Second, my daughter lost interest about halfway through.
I lost interest as well. It was confusing to read certain pages with the way the text is laid out with the artwork.
Definitely won't be reading this one again.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful and probably best shared one on one since the illustrations are so fetching!

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids liked this one more than me. No rhymes but the pictures were very fun. The pictures appear to be a collage- I love the pink mouse. Boris wakes up from a catnap and soon finds out his shadow is gone and in its place it's the shadow of a mouse. He's made fun of and finally finds Vernon, the mouse, who has his shadow. Vernon says that Boris' shadow got bored and wandered off and it made Vernon feel "BIG and IMPORTANT" so Vernon gave Boris his shadow so he wouldn't be left without one. In the end they eventually switch back but first come to both understand each other- "It's not nice to be snickered at, squeaked at, and ignored, you know. It made Boris feel TERRIBLY small and all alone." And then they become friends. Sweet message of kinda stepping into someone else's shoes and fun pictures.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boris wakes up from a nap and finds that his shadow is that of a mouse. It's a cute story and easy to follow. I think kids would get a real kick out of it. And the illustrations are very colorful.

[Ashley Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Season of books being brought in to read!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a really nice progression to Boris’s negotiation of the world when wearing the wrong shadow. Following the snickering and undesirable invisibility, he starts to imagine having not his own shadow back, but a bigger shadow, “something with a little more WOW!” By the time hears why Vernon was tempted to take Boris’s restless shadow for a walk, when he says he understands, we know he is sincere. He knows what it feels like to be made small and ignored. He knows how tempting it can be to try on someone’s shadow for a while. What they learn together is just how silly it is to be anyone but themselves-completely. Their own shadow is less cumbersome, more suitable to their desired lifestyle, and just true to who they are.

The story maintains a current of silliness, of buoying humor. Both the text and illustrations are playful. The colors are bright, textures and collage-work visually exciting, the story ever intent on refocusing the more burdensome problems of self-identification toward dwelling on the aspects that are more meaningful and pleasurable.

L (omphaloskepsis)
http://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/20...

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boris the cat loves his catnaps. When he awakes and prepares to take his walk, he notices something very strange. His shadow looked like it might belong to a mouse. Not just any mouse, but a sneaky, squeaky mouse named Vernon. How could this shadow swap have taken place? Without his cat shadow how would Boris make the birds flutter when he bounces by the bird bath? Even worse, what will the other cats think when they see Boris and his very small shadow? It will be tricky getting his shadow back. You'll have to read more to see if Boris succeeds.

The fun and quirky illustrations will have kids learning shapes. Parents can talk to young readers about cats, mice and birds. Lots of colors can also be found for young readers to learn along with lots of other objects kids will have a great time identifying. Simple sentences with easy to recognize words will have kids reading this book over and over.

[Cheryl Malandrinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boris and the Wrong Shadow by author/illustrator Leigh Hodgkinson is a hoot. Poor Boris gets made fun of because of his puny shadow. Even the birds aren’t scared of him. He soon finds out that someone feels that way about his shadow all the time, but having Boris’s larger shadow made him feel big and important. With quick thinking, Boris is able to keep his shadow and help a friend.

This is a great book that is funny while it teaches kids about problem solving. The delightful story is complemented by Hodgkinson’s zany and adorable artwork. The overall book design with bolded words, words in bubbles, and curvy word art works so well for this book, giving Boris and the Wrong Shadow a light, whimsical feel despite its important lesson. The book’s large size (11″ x 9 3/4″) will make it easy to find on the shelf, but it will never be there long because the kids will be reading this one all the time.

Highly recommended!

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boris wakes up from a nice nap to find that his shadow has disappeared and he now has the shadow of a mouse! What happened to his shadow? Where did this mouse shadow come from? Then he sees Vernon the mouse with a giant cat shadow? Vernon borrowed his shadow to have a little fun. How will they switch back?

I loved the illustrations in this book; they are fun and quirky. I also thought the story was a lot of fun. Kids will enjoy wondering with Boris trying to figure out his new shadow. I think this will make a great read aloud.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is another fun adventure with Boris the Cat. Boris wakes up to find that he has the shadow of a mouse. Is he really a mouse? He doubts it. If he is not a mouse, what happened to his shadow and how can he get it back?

I enjoyed the colorful collages and how they are used to move with the action of the story. I was glad that I pulled this book off of a display at the library to share with my niece. What a great discovery!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boris the cat falls asleep and wakes up with the wrong shadow! Boris learns about empathy and friendship in this fun tale of cat and mouse.

However, I found the font a little annoying at times. Some superlatives would be set in a bigger or smaller font, while others would be set in a fancy font. How the words were printed on the page was a bit distracting. Others might find this really cute - me, eh.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this second Boris book as much as the first. I still enjoyed the mixed media illustrations, but the story didn't interest me. This book follows Boris as his shadow gets switched with Vernon the mouse's shadow.

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when a cat wakes up with the shadow of a mouse? Where did his own shadow go?Fun and funny these charming characters and their predicament will definitely amuse the young readers and listeners.

[Ellias · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is funny because Boris the cat wakes up to find his shadow has run off with a mouse and he is stuck with the mouse's shadow. The pictures are really neat and Mommy laughs at the words, but I don't really get it. Maybe I'll like it more in a few years.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boris is horrified to find that his shadow has been swapped with a mouse's shadow while he was napping! He eventually finds the mouse and they swap back, but Boris learns a little how it is to walk in another's shoes.

Quirky illustrations - text integration.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A silly story about a cat who wakes up to find he has the wring shadow. I thought the various fonts stretched across the page were an interesting touch. Does use the word "stupid," which makes it an iffy choice for storytime. But my kids enjoyed this story immensely.

[Karyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My class loved this book.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

read aloud from Sally--good for first grade--light and shadow

[Loren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Droll drama amid eye-catching artwork. Boris is one of my favorite picture book cat characters. It is worth reading them all!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute story about a kitty and his journey to find the right shadow. Funny enough to make mommy laugh.

[Catrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I liked this book because of the funny parts of Vernon when he has to run back home to his mouse house" review by 4 yr old :)

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

5-yr-old Zack loves this silly book about a mouse who steals his cat friend Boris's shadow. Hilarious!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the art!

[Stefani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story with momentary morals about teasing and friendship. Better for one-on-one sharing.

[Mary Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boris has the wrong shadow. Guess who has his?

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

How did I miss this book? Illustration style reminiscent of Clarice and Bean. Could be used to discuss individuality, importance of being kind, bullying... but not in a didactic way. Very sweet.

[Katterley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Boris books and love to share Boris books.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story; amazing collage and cartooney pictures.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boris has an idea now of how tiny the mouse feels as they switch shadows. Vernon, the mouse, delights in feeling important with the big cat shadow of Boris while Boris misses his shadow greatly.