Shy VI

This Violet is aptly named: a wallflower, shrinking-violet sort of mouse. Silent while her siblings squabble and shout, the words she ventures are barely audible--and, in a nice touch, warrant only tiny letters on the printed page. ``Speak up'' she is told, to no avail, until her parents decide that ``we must do something to help our Violet,'' and self-confidence lessons are prescribed. For a moment Violet's words register a flutter on the Richter scale--but only for a moment. She is not miraculously transformed, but succeeds within her own limits--thus bringing a welcome conclusion to this sensitive, humorously told tale (similar in theme to Arthur Levine's Sheep Dreams and Rosemary Wells's Shy Charles ). In his debut, Smith offers artwork that seems to glow from within, its smooth texture giving a soft definition to the pictures. Warmly rendered illustrations bask in an abundance of soft spring colors--pale greens, yellows and pinks--and each page seems orderly, possessing a sense of ``interior design'' as each color choice matches or complements the next. A pleasing look at conquering fears--to a (realistic) point. Ages 4-7. (Apr.)