Much to the disappointment of his parents, Charles Mouse doesn’t like to talk. He doesn’t say, “Thank you” or “Good-bye.” He avoids the phone and he’s perfectly happy playing all by himself. He sleeps through ballet class and isn’t any better at football. Will Charles ever learn to speak up for himself?

Written in rhyme, “Shy Charles” is an interesting look at a very shy, introverted child and his way of coping with the world. Like many parents, Charles’s mother and father do not seem to understand that his silence is because of his shyness; they worry that he has no manners [and they are, perhaps, a bit embarrassed]. They worry about how he will get along in the world if he cannot speak up for himself.

But Charles understands much more than his parents realize and when there’s an emergency with the babysitter, he knows exactly what to do. And he does it without hesitation.

Here, in Charles, young readers see that everyone is different and that that’s okay. Young readers who share Charles’s shyness see that there’s nothing wrong with being shy and quiet. And Charles accepts that his parents want him to be involved in things, so he willingly tries whatever they suggest, even ballet and football. But they can’t change his shyness.

Here, young readers see that parents aren’t perfect, they sometimes react badly, they sometimes make mistakes and speak harshly. And the way they speak to their child in this story is terribly upsetting . . . and difficult to defend. But there’s no doubt that they love Charles . . . in their own way, they’re trying to help him fit into the world. When Charles cries, it’s not clear if it’s because of the words his father has spoken or because he feels sad that his father is disappointed in him. There’s a lesson here for parents: perhaps they don’t quite understand their child, but harsh words won’t change anything and, like sticks and stones, they hurt.

Charmingly illustrated, this is a book for young readers and parents to read together and discuss. The message here is that what you say [and how you say it] is important and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with shyness or being different from others. Being yourself is perfectly fine . . . . ( )

Charles is shy, but he's cool in a crisis. (But shy again when thanked.) ( )

This book could be used to discuss with students what to do in case of an emergency. It could also be used to relate to those students are shy like Charles. ( )

Charles is very quiet and shy. While he is happy playing by himself, his parents are not happy. So, they try and get him involved in some different activities
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Read this with my shy one, Gabriel, who actually read it to me. I got it as part of the library's bag of books on feelings. Books like this are best read and discussed with your child. ( )