Frizzy

Written by: Nancy Parent

Illustrated by: Glen Mullaly, Ken and Joan Steacy 

                 

Summary:

Frizzy starts with an adorable monster quite sad and alone on monster planet.  Wanting to make friends, he discovers a fellow monster on the beach and quickly makes a new friend.  As luck would have it, his new friend Dizzy had friends of his own.  Soon Frizzy meets all sorts of new monsters and befriends them.  After a good crunchy lunch (bugs), they make plans of the next day to go swimming, thus leaving Frizzy with plenty of new friends and feeling happy.

 

Personal Evaluation:

Pros: From the start, the story draws you in from the illustrations of the characters.  All the monsters are cute and friendly looking.  The addition of the tabs that show the next monster that is introduced it a nice feature and allows children to flip though the pages easier and shows the next monster to be introduced.     

Cons: I would say that the addition of two to four more pages would have added a little more entertainment value.  So it’s hard to fault a book intended to keep children occupied as the copy that I found was placed in a waiting room.  It was well read and seen many readings from young minds, thus performed as intended and still holding up. 

                                                                 

Final:

Frizzy can be used in several ways.  First the message of friendship is there in the pages.  Then the values of making friends and what it feels like to not have them.  But the most important message is the one of tolerance.  I don’t think that a child would get the message on their own, but for a parent reading the book to a child can easily point out that monsters (people) come in many shapes sizes and colors.  Thus stressing that even with differences you can still be friends and treat them with kindness.   

 

Additional Information:

Publisher: Paradise Press (2001)

ISBN: 157657685X

Book Type: 10 Page; Color Boardbook