Anzu the Great Kaiju

by Benson Shum, Benson Shum (Illustrator)

Overview

An adorable picture book about a tiny monster with a big heart trying to follow in his family's footsteps.

All great Kaiju are born with a super power to strike fear in the heart of the city.
But Anzu is different.
Instead of mayhem, he likes May flowers.
Instead of striking fear, he prefers to be sincere.
Can Anzu find a way to make his family proud and stay true to his kind self?

From Disney animator and illustrator Bensom Shum comes an adorable and heartwarming picture book about making your own way and the unexpected power of gentleness—perfect for fans of Ferdinand the Bull.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250776129
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	01/11/2022
Series:	Anzu the Great Kaiju , #1
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	476,025
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 11.30(h) x 0.35(d)
Lexile:	AD480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Benson Shum is a children's book author and illustrator who has illustrated a number of picture books like Adam Lehrhaupt's Sloth Went and Jennifer Sattler's Go to Sheep. Benson is also an animator at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he was a part of such films as Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Frozen II and Raya and the Last Dragon. Originally from Vancouver, BC, Benson now lives in sunny southern California.

Editorial Reviews

"Benson Shum has created a heartwarming story of acceptance and strength all wrapped up in a cute little package named Anzu." —Dan Santat, Caldecott medalist and author of the bestselling book After the Fall

*"It’s a pleasure to see the monster myth once again turned on its head. Spoiler alert: Goofy, loving monster makes good on his proclivities for joy, and wins his parents’ approval along the way. It’s a triumph, all right." —School Library Journal, starred review

"More sweet than scary, this heartfelt story naturally incorporates specific elements of Japanese culture into impressive picture-book storytelling." —The Horn Book Magazine

"[E]ngaging and heartwarming. . . . A tongue-in-cheek bildungsroman spun around celebrating differences and the underrated superpowers of gentleness and sweetness. —Kirkus

"Shum’s experience as an animator. . . is evident in the way he storyboards the narrative, pulls readers along with cinematic energy, and celebrates Japanese aesthetics—with everything from bonsai trees to golden picture frames to tiny creatures that look like adorable walking dumplings. [A] wholly original tale, which proves humorous, heartfelt, and as sweet as the flowers Anzu conjures." —Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 02/01/2022

K-Gr 2—Anzu, like all kaiju, is born with a superpower and in general, these strike fear into the hearts of anyone nearby. But Anzu's gifts live in the realm of flower power. When he comes of age and is given his city (Godzilla had Tokyo), his parents instruct him in the ways of the kaiju: Summon storms, shake the earth, create havoc. But Anzu's storm becomes a shower of leis, and his earth-moving results in a dazzling playground. What is wrong with this monster? His city folk love him, but his parents are so disapproving that the ancestral matriarch is summoned. Thing get scary. But Anzu is so unhappy with who and what he has become that he relapses into his happy-making, danger-shaming celebration of being himself. The residents of Anzu's city love him with far more power than they could have imagined, and that results in a seriously happy ending. It's a pleasure to see the monster myth once again turned on its head. The vocabulary paves the way for beginning readers, and cheerful cartoons and comic panels offer an easy path to what's next. VERDICT Spoiler alert: Goofy, loving monster makes good on his proclivities for joy, and wins his parents' approval along the way. It's a triumph, all right.—Kimberly Olson Fakih

School Library Journal

2021-12-16
Kaijus—giant Godzilla-like creatures—are supposed to have fearsome powers like atomic breath, the ability to summon storms, and magnetism—but not young Anzu.

Instead, he was born with the power of finding “beauty in small things.” Finally old enough to be assigned his own personal city to terrorize, Anzu hopes to impress his fond parents. But instead of inflicting fiery destruction on the tiny kodamalike residents at his feet, the best he can do is rain garlands of flowers down on them. He tries to wreak havoc by uprooting a tree but instead ends up creating a peaceful playground of blossoming animal topiaries. “I’ll never strike fear,” Anzu frets. “Am I even a kaiju?” Young readers may well share his doubts since, despite towering over the city of lumpy buildings made from low mounds of dirt, he and his family look more like cute, plump stuffies than scary reptilian beasts. When Anzu does at last manage a little devastation, his feeling of triumph is short-lived—and so, to restore joy and laughter, he exerts his special flower powers with surprising, and satisfying, results. The text is engaging and heartwarming without being cloying. The bright, colorful illustrations are rendered in watercolor and ink. Full-bleed artwork is interspersed with panels, which, along with the use of narrative boxes, lend a graphic feel to the presentation.

A tongue-in-cheek bildungsroman spun around celebrating differences and the underrated superpowers of gentleness and sweetness. (Graphic picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews