Sasha Feels Shy

Sasha wants to join in on a playdate, but her shyness keeps getting in the way. A kindhearted, funny, reassuring story for anyone who needs more time warming up in this socially extroverted world.

When Sasha arrives for a playdate at Leo’s, she finds him charged up and ready to go. Waving a toy frying pan, he shouts, “I’m Chef Yummy. Step into my café!” Sasha pictures herself making fluffy pancakes, but her shyness quickly takes over. Leo is full of ideas, bouncing up and down as he invites Sasha to play rock stars or astronauts, but Sasha’s reticence wins out every time. She wants to be Leo’s friend, and she doesn’t want to make him sad, but how can she get past this hurdle? With empathy, humor, and some truly adorable characters, Natalia Shaloshvili draws from her own childhood experiences to show that sympathy and understanding can go a long way—and might just lead to the start of a beautiful friendship. Anyone up for a game of space-rocker-pancake chef?Cleverly, Shaloshvili makes clear that some little ones shut down when they feel overwhelmed while others cope by becoming more boisterous. Her acrylic paints and watercolors deftly reveal every emotion felt by the characters without sacrificing a jot of their fuzziness. . . .Gentle advocacy for the introspective that adeptly models empathy for shyness of all stripes.
—Kirkus Reviews

This sweet picture book meets Sasha just where she’s at, keeping with both her personality and her comfort level to create a compassionate portrayal of the shy child’s struggle to make friends. . . .Give this to the quiet kid to show them that there’snothing wrong with being shy, or to the loud kid who could benefit from a deeper understanding of their more reticent peers.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Shaloshvili’s smudgy, soft-edged artwork is created with acrylic and watercolor and carries a felted look that radiates sweetness and whimsy. The illustrations show the youngsters at play, transforming their surroundings to match their imaginations. This gentle story is ideal for children who struggle with shyness or to help children understand friends who are shy.
—BooklistNatalia Shaloshvili is the creator of Pavlo Gets the Grumps. Originally from Ukraine, she published a number of picture books before moving to the UK, where she started her career as a fashion and editorial illustrator. She enjoys working with traditional materials such as acrylic and watercolor pencils. Natalia Shaloshvili lives in London.