Wimpy Shrimpy by Matt Buckingham

Down at the bottom of the sea

lived a little shrimp. And this

little shrimp was a bit of a wimp.

Down at the bottom of the sea

lived a little shrimp. And this

little shrimp was a bit of a wimp.

Shrimpy is scared of just about everything. It’s crippling. He’s so scared that something might go wrong that he won’t play with his friends. They suggest a wide variety of games, but Shrimpy is too worried about potential problems to try anything. Eventually his friends give up asking him to play. And that was something Shrimpy hadn’t imagined. But once it happened, the loneliness is worse than any potential consequences games may have been. Once he realises that his playing friends are having fun, and are not experiencing any of the consequences he was scared of, Shrimpy makes a decision. He takes a big breath and joins in with the playing. And it is great fun. Illustrations are full page colour and feature a variety of sea-friends.

Children have individual safety thresholds, and Shrimpy’s is set to uber-high. Despite the invitations of his friends, and their attempts to find something he can join in, he is paralysed by his worries. But worries won’t go away just because someone else suggests they should. A child has to make their own decisions. And Shrimpy, discovering unexpected consequences of his reticence, does just that. He decides to take a chance. Illustrations offer other sea creatures to identify and games to recognise. Recommended for pre-schoolers and early schoolers and any child who is overwhelmed by new experiences.

 

Wimpy Shrimpy, Matt Buckingham Koala Books 2014 ISBN: 9781742761022