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The Shy Creatures
What does a shy girl want to be when she grows up? A doctor, but not just any doctor—this little girl wants to care for creatures who may seem intimidating, but are really very shy, just like she is.
David Mack’s extraordinary picture book debut is perfect to read aloud with creatures little and big, shy and outgoing, who believe in the magic of imagination.
David Mack’s extraordinary picture book debut is perfect to read aloud with creatures little and big, shy and outgoing, who believe in the magic of imagination.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published August 21, 2007
51 people want to read
About the author
David W. Mack
492 books214 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
David W. Mack is a comic book artist and writer, best known for his creation Kabuki and his work on the Marvel Comics titles Daredevil and Alias
The author of the Star Trek Novels is David Mack
David W. Mack is a comic book artist and writer, best known for his creation Kabuki and his work on the Marvel Comics titles Daredevil and Alias
The author of the Star Trek Novels is David Mack
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 16, 2019
Recommended to me by one friend, and highly praised by another, I approached David Mack's debut picture book, The Shy Creatures, with great expectations. But although I found it moderately charming, I was not as impressed as I had hoped to be.
The story of a shy young girl who imagines, when classroom discussion turns to that perennial question of "what to be" when grown up, that she will become a doctor for the shy creatures of the world, Mack's book will undoubtedly appeal to children who are themselves shy. More generally, young readers fascinated by figures such as the Yeti or the Loch Ness Monster, will also find material for the imagination here.
But the visual and linguistic parallels, whether conscious or unconscious, between this and the work of Dr. Seuss, left me feeling somewhat dissatisfied. I found the rhyming scheme rather awkward, and the illustrations a little too "cutesy." Still, I'm glad to have discovered it, and will look for David Mack's next attempt
The story of a shy young girl who imagines, when classroom discussion turns to that perennial question of "what to be" when grown up, that she will become a doctor for the shy creatures of the world, Mack's book will undoubtedly appeal to children who are themselves shy. More generally, young readers fascinated by figures such as the Yeti or the Loch Ness Monster, will also find material for the imagination here.
But the visual and linguistic parallels, whether conscious or unconscious, between this and the work of Dr. Seuss, left me feeling somewhat dissatisfied. I found the rhyming scheme rather awkward, and the illustrations a little too "cutesy." Still, I'm glad to have discovered it, and will look for David Mack's next attempt
March 5, 2018
A shy girl longs to be a doctor for shy cryptozoological creatures when she grows up. The story was cute enough, but I wasn't wild about the drawings which look like cheap Dr. Seuss imitations.
September 12, 2008
This is a very sweet story about a shy girl whose goal it is to help shy creatures. It’s terrific for kids who are shy to possibly help them find courage to express themselves and also for kids who know any shy kids to help them feel empathy and help them see how much might be going on unexpressed with the shy kids. I also love how it shows the shy little girl caring about all sorts of shy creatures and wanting to help them.
The creatures in the book are given descriptions at the beginning of the book as though it’s going to be a non-fiction book, but the creatures are fantastical, and they include the abdominal snowman, big foot, chupacabra, Cyclops, Pegasus, phoenix, pushmi-pullyu, and unicorn.
This rhyming story with pictures is cute, funny, and entertaining.
The creatures in the book are given descriptions at the beginning of the book as though it’s going to be a non-fiction book, but the creatures are fantastical, and they include the abdominal snowman, big foot, chupacabra, Cyclops, Pegasus, phoenix, pushmi-pullyu, and unicorn.
This rhyming story with pictures is cute, funny, and entertaining.
July 2, 2016
Such a cute, simple kids' book!!!
In the vein of Dr. Seuss.
Get this for the shy little one in your life. He or she will totally relate to the inner world creativity of the shy girl who would have so much to say... if she wasn't so shy :)
AND, the story and art is by David Mack, a comic book creator who did the covers for the Jessica Jones series, Alias. I LOVED his work on Alias so much, that even though I read the series in trade, I sought out particular single issues for the cover art alone, to add to my collection of "favorite cover art."
The Shy Creatures is in a completely different (more age appropriate) style. Very Seuss-like in a great way.
In the vein of Dr. Seuss.
Get this for the shy little one in your life. He or she will totally relate to the inner world creativity of the shy girl who would have so much to say... if she wasn't so shy :)
AND, the story and art is by David Mack, a comic book creator who did the covers for the Jessica Jones series, Alias. I LOVED his work on Alias so much, that even though I read the series in trade, I sought out particular single issues for the cover art alone, to add to my collection of "favorite cover art."
The Shy Creatures is in a completely different (more age appropriate) style. Very Seuss-like in a great way.
December 27, 2007
The Shy Creatures, David Mack's first picture book for kids, originally appeared inside of one of the Kabuki: The Alchemy comics. A little Seuss-esque, the book tells the story--in rhyme, of course--of a shy little girl who wants to be a doctor to all of the supposedly mythical creatures of the world, who she thinks may be, not mythical, but just shy. My favorite part of the book is the romance between a worm in an apple and the Loch Ness monster. It's the kind of book I'd love to give to a kid.
April 10, 2011
A fun way to introduce children to well known mythological creatures. The illustrations are fun and fantastical. A great twist, that these creatures (like a shy child) are all too often misunderstood. I have a feeling that Joseph Campbell would agree.
Well done Mr. Mack! A huge thanks to Uncle Mark for the gift to little Milo.
Well done Mr. Mack! A huge thanks to Uncle Mark for the gift to little Milo.
July 9, 2016
I really enjoyed this cute kids book. I would really have loved this when I was young. Great for budding cryptozoologists.
March 13, 2019
Cute - but really my first reaction is "How did I miss that David Mack wrote a children's picture book?!"
February 2, 2020
I liked the book and thought the way the other put things in certain points of view was interesting. I also found many parts of the book very humorous, it was good for a laugh. The way the author used shy in the title. However, the creatures he talked about we refer to as mythological.
May 5, 2017
The Shy Creatures is the first and only children's book by acclaimed writer, illustrator, and multiple award winner David Mack. My expectations for this book were high, even before seeing the cover.
What I read, unfortunately, was an unfinished, inconsistent piece with a few good ideas and occasional good drawing.
The premise is the best part. A young, shy child wants to know, care for, and befriend misunderstood monsters. This has good story potential, and good potential for illustration, even leaning toward David Mack's artistic strengths.
However, the writing is a mess. Different pages taken on their own might sound like they were from different books. The tone is inconsistent, ranging from sweet to gross-out humour. It occasionally rhymes, but without clear rule or reason. Read aloud, it has no clear cadence or rhythm. Even the placement of the words on the page is awkward.
As for the illustration, the book is at its best on some of the monsters. A few of them really show care in line, and especially in colour. The cyclops is quite expressive, and the dragon is beautiful. However, the style is inconsistent. Some look like simple cartoons, and others like emulations of old Asian art. This would be fine if Mack had run with this, perhaps making every page, or every monster section, it's own art style. Instead, it looks like the whole thing was gone over to make it all look as alike as possible, even if, taken individually, these monsters aren't drawn as though they should really be in the same book. But the worst offence, and the one that makes the differences in style of drawing most fail, is the little shy girl character. She appears on nearly every page, but looks on many of the pages as though she was scribbled onto a napkin, faxed in to the editor, and pasted onto the page. On a page with a carefully drawn and painted monster, this character will be perched awkwardly on its shoulder, with scribbled hands and scratchy pen marks of inconsistent line width, and throwing off the whole composition. Furthermore, when she isn't drawn with one-step-above-a-stick-figure effort, she looks just like a ripoff of a Dr. Suess character. The design of the book and title page similarly look Suess-like. This is so disappointing from someone with such a beautiful personal style as David Mack.
I really wanted to like this book. I love David Mack. However, after reading it through, showing my wife, and reading it again, I don't think I'll even read it to my kids (five-year-old twins). It isn't because the book is terribly, horribly bad, but that I just don't even want to bother. And I don't want my kids' introduction to David Mack to include this book. I've already showed them select pages from Daredevil, Kabuki, and the covers of Fight Club 2, and I'd rather they know him from those.
What I read, unfortunately, was an unfinished, inconsistent piece with a few good ideas and occasional good drawing.
The premise is the best part. A young, shy child wants to know, care for, and befriend misunderstood monsters. This has good story potential, and good potential for illustration, even leaning toward David Mack's artistic strengths.
However, the writing is a mess. Different pages taken on their own might sound like they were from different books. The tone is inconsistent, ranging from sweet to gross-out humour. It occasionally rhymes, but without clear rule or reason. Read aloud, it has no clear cadence or rhythm. Even the placement of the words on the page is awkward.
As for the illustration, the book is at its best on some of the monsters. A few of them really show care in line, and especially in colour. The cyclops is quite expressive, and the dragon is beautiful. However, the style is inconsistent. Some look like simple cartoons, and others like emulations of old Asian art. This would be fine if Mack had run with this, perhaps making every page, or every monster section, it's own art style. Instead, it looks like the whole thing was gone over to make it all look as alike as possible, even if, taken individually, these monsters aren't drawn as though they should really be in the same book. But the worst offence, and the one that makes the differences in style of drawing most fail, is the little shy girl character. She appears on nearly every page, but looks on many of the pages as though she was scribbled onto a napkin, faxed in to the editor, and pasted onto the page. On a page with a carefully drawn and painted monster, this character will be perched awkwardly on its shoulder, with scribbled hands and scratchy pen marks of inconsistent line width, and throwing off the whole composition. Furthermore, when she isn't drawn with one-step-above-a-stick-figure effort, she looks just like a ripoff of a Dr. Suess character. The design of the book and title page similarly look Suess-like. This is so disappointing from someone with such a beautiful personal style as David Mack.
I really wanted to like this book. I love David Mack. However, after reading it through, showing my wife, and reading it again, I don't think I'll even read it to my kids (five-year-old twins). It isn't because the book is terribly, horribly bad, but that I just don't even want to bother. And I don't want my kids' introduction to David Mack to include this book. I've already showed them select pages from Daredevil, Kabuki, and the covers of Fight Club 2, and I'd rather they know him from those.
September 8, 2016
Shy Creatures.
Author: David Mack
Illustrator: David Mack
Date of Publication: 2007
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book, fantasy
Summary: Shy Creatures is a book about a shy girl who has a shy fish, shy cat and a shy dog. She loves to day dream and thinks of how she would help out different mythical creatures.
Evaluative Commentary: I really enjoy this book and think that it can be a great read aloud for the younger grades. The rhymes and the illustrations remind me of Dr Seus! They lay out is a little more complex, more appropriate for 1st/ 2nd graders for guided reading. The younger students might struggle with some of the more difficult creature names like Chupacubra and Abominable Snowman... so it might be better for first/second graders. How ever my two year old can't pronounce a lot of these names but still enjoys looking at the pictures!
Discussion Questions:
Have you ever felt shy before? (reassure that everybody feels shy sometimes, maybe give an example when you felt shy before to normalize the feeling/experience) good introduction/attention getter.
What is a magical creature?
How are magical creatures different from everyday beings?
What special powers do magical creatures have?
What kinds of magical creatures are found in different cultures and in stories from around the world?
What are some other books that you have seen some of these magical creatures before?
Which one is your favorite creature? Why?
What does the shy girl want to be when she grows up?
Looking at the pictures there are is one little ordinary creature that appears in every picture, can you spot him?
Comprehension Strategy: There is a little section in the beginning of the book that gives a short bio and the origin of the creatures mentioned in the book. The rhymes can facilitate word study lessons. Also great use of punctuation and quotations which can be another lesson focus. Vocab review/learn: forlorn, nearsighted, delighted, whiplash, dentures. Can be part of a unit on magical/mythical creatures (which was always my favorite unit)
Extension activity: Draw and describe your own imaginary creature. Think of a problem your creature would have that they shy girl can help him with.
Read/Listen to Shel Silverstein's poem of the Unicorn and compare the description to the Unicorn in the Shy creatures book.
Students can be divided in to groups and assigned a page/scene/character and act it out. The rest of the class guesses which creature it is.
Electronic resource:http://www.mythicalcreatureslist.com/
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan...
Author: David Mack
Illustrator: David Mack
Date of Publication: 2007
Genre: Fiction, Picture Book, fantasy
Summary: Shy Creatures is a book about a shy girl who has a shy fish, shy cat and a shy dog. She loves to day dream and thinks of how she would help out different mythical creatures.
Evaluative Commentary: I really enjoy this book and think that it can be a great read aloud for the younger grades. The rhymes and the illustrations remind me of Dr Seus! They lay out is a little more complex, more appropriate for 1st/ 2nd graders for guided reading. The younger students might struggle with some of the more difficult creature names like Chupacubra and Abominable Snowman... so it might be better for first/second graders. How ever my two year old can't pronounce a lot of these names but still enjoys looking at the pictures!
Discussion Questions:
Have you ever felt shy before? (reassure that everybody feels shy sometimes, maybe give an example when you felt shy before to normalize the feeling/experience) good introduction/attention getter.
What is a magical creature?
How are magical creatures different from everyday beings?
What special powers do magical creatures have?
What kinds of magical creatures are found in different cultures and in stories from around the world?
What are some other books that you have seen some of these magical creatures before?
Which one is your favorite creature? Why?
What does the shy girl want to be when she grows up?
Looking at the pictures there are is one little ordinary creature that appears in every picture, can you spot him?
Comprehension Strategy: There is a little section in the beginning of the book that gives a short bio and the origin of the creatures mentioned in the book. The rhymes can facilitate word study lessons. Also great use of punctuation and quotations which can be another lesson focus. Vocab review/learn: forlorn, nearsighted, delighted, whiplash, dentures. Can be part of a unit on magical/mythical creatures (which was always my favorite unit)
Extension activity: Draw and describe your own imaginary creature. Think of a problem your creature would have that they shy girl can help him with.
Read/Listen to Shel Silverstein's poem of the Unicorn and compare the description to the Unicorn in the Shy creatures book.
Students can be divided in to groups and assigned a page/scene/character and act it out. The rest of the class guesses which creature it is.
Electronic resource:http://www.mythicalcreatureslist.com/
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan...
January 5, 2014
It is a really sweet book. I HIGHLY recommend it for kids, especially shy kids. Brave kids. Kids that love monsters or mythological creatures like the pegasus or dragon! It reminded me of myself when I was a child in elementary school and was shy (hard to believe, I know). So many shy people have such stories they want to tell, but can't or won't. But with this shy girl, we get to hear what she has to say and it is quite entertaining. It is very similiar in tone and art form to Dr. Seus. Honestly, I like it better. The rhymes get to me after a while in Dr. Seus's books. I start rhyming without realizing it and the husband starts laughing as it annoys me. Plus, children can read about the unfamiliar creatures in the monsters' glossary, located in the beginning of the book.
If you have a kid you know who is shy or you just want a sweet and entertaining book, this is for you. It is also good to show that even shy kids have awesome ideas as well to less understanding kids who think that just because they don't talk a lot, they are dumb. Usually, it is quite the opposite. They are very intelligent and imaginative.
Yes. I will be buying a copy myself for my family and a few friends. I can honestly say that the kids adored it that I read it to. This is how classical children's books used to be. Fun and full of whimsy.
I will also freely admit that I adore his Kabuki comic/graphic novel series. It is NOT for kids. But it is really good and NOT what people expect from a comic. Kind of like how people don't expect Sandman or Watchmen as they think it is all super-heroe.
If you have a kid you know who is shy or you just want a sweet and entertaining book, this is for you. It is also good to show that even shy kids have awesome ideas as well to less understanding kids who think that just because they don't talk a lot, they are dumb. Usually, it is quite the opposite. They are very intelligent and imaginative.
Yes. I will be buying a copy myself for my family and a few friends. I can honestly say that the kids adored it that I read it to. This is how classical children's books used to be. Fun and full of whimsy.
I will also freely admit that I adore his Kabuki comic/graphic novel series. It is NOT for kids. But it is really good and NOT what people expect from a comic. Kind of like how people don't expect Sandman or Watchmen as they think it is all super-heroe.
December 23, 2012
I was given this book my Uncle Mark. I love the story. My favorite part is with the Chupacabra. The book is worn and wrinkled on the pages with the Chupacabra because I have returned to them so often. This book inspired my Halloween costume. I told my Mama and Papa that for Halloween I wanted to be a Chupacabra.
Uncle Fredrik helped me make my costume. I looked just like the one in the book.
Uncle Fredrik helped me make my costume. I looked just like the one in the book.
March 6, 2015
A shy young girl wants to be a doctor when she grows up. She wants to be a doctor to a mix of creatures of both ancient and more recent myth. Told in rhyme she imagines herself caring for Bigfoot, Cyclops, Pegasus, The Loch Ness Monster and others. Although not as nice as Seuss the illustrations do have that type of look. A nice book for jump starting a young child's imagination.
May 31, 2009
This is a funny and empathetic tale about a shy girl in class who wants to share, but is too shy. It gets quite silly in parts, with all the fictional "shy" creatures and our girls really enjoyed it. We've borrowed this one from the library a couple of times.
November 6, 2012
Rhymes and cadence aren't that great. And is the illustrator _trying_ to imitate the inimitable Dr. Seuss? There sure seem to be many similar pictures.
Story line is cute in general; it's the just execution that lacks polish.
Story line is cute in general; it's the just execution that lacks polish.
January 8, 2014
Originally, I read this story when it was published in the Kabuki comic books. Then, it was made into a unique children's book. I love it. I addresses the need for accepting others, dreaming, and seeking out those who are shy.
March 2, 2016
A cute little rhyme about what a shy little girl would like to be when she grows up. She wants to be doctor (and eventually just a friend) to all the imaginary creatures - who are shy, just like her.
Fun illustrations.
Fun illustrations.
February 24, 2008
There's something vaguely Seussian about the pictures. I love the premise; that a shy girl wants to be a doctor to shy creatures (like Bigfoot, Unicorns, etc) when she grows up. A cute read-aloud.
May 21, 2008
This was a really good book when you have a shy child or you know a shy child! It was a very cute book!
October 2, 2008
"What if Grey Aliens got eye boogers in their great big eyes?"
"They could eat those big alien boogers with fries
This would be great for someone with a 3rd/4th grade sense of humor.
"They could eat those big alien boogers with fries
This would be great for someone with a 3rd/4th grade sense of humor.
February 4, 2010
Cuttttttttttteeeeeeeeee book
July 6, 2011
Super cute, love all the crypto references :)
February 10, 2012
Excellent children's book by David Mack!
February 25, 2014
Bizarre and cool
September 10, 2011
Very clever! It kinda reminded me of Dr. Seuss
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews