"He thought that if he stopped
expressing himself,
he would stop standing out.
And so, he started trying to contain
his feelings (and tail)."
Writing about Mouse and his big feelings yesterday reminded me of Shibu and the lessons he learns about communication and friendship in this terrific book I want to share with every child I see. The image on the cover will have listeners wondering just what is going on with said tail. I will definitely save it for the summer when my granddaughters return.
Shibu is a cat with a great deal in common with Mouse; he 'has a lot of feelings'. When he can't speak about them, his tail does it for him. Being happy results in his tail providing hugs galore. When he's mad, his tail stands on end in the same way nerves do when trying to mitigate those strong feelings. It is protective when Shibu is scared and fully expressive at all other times of deep emotion.
When Shibu notices others are paying attention to the many changes in his tail, he decides to be like every other cat whose tails show no emotions whatsoever. He will keep others from noticing by keeping all that he is feeling to himself.
Containing his feelings under any circumstance only leads to even stronger responses to what is happening. Shibu explodes, letting all that he has muffled burst forth. Thankfully, Shibu understands that feelings need to be shared. It is an important life lesson he passes along.
Using 'black micro pigment ink' and a myriad of fine lines to build volume for Shibu's underlying feelings, Kanwei Fong gives young readers a true sense of Shibu's personality and what happens when he does his best not to show those feelings. The image of the explosion felt is full of texture and meaning, and leave Shibu soaking wet. It leads to release and needed understanding.
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