In this nearly wordless book's opening, Molly watches other kids happily walk by her window. She would join them if not for her anxiety, which manifests as a scary monster waiting for her outside. When she ventures out from the safety of her home, the haunting figure follows her, and try as she might to escape, it is always there. Soon, the one monster multiplies into a crowd of them, which, along with the world outside Molly's home, are rendered in scratchy pen and colored pencil. Watercolor blotches encroach on the paneled illustrations, evoking anxiety, but Molly stands out in her red jacket as she summons the strength to blow back the monsters. She overcomes her fears using the only word in the book, a hopeful "hi" that she offers to a boy. The ending, with its promise of friendship, will comfort and encourage young readers. In addition to its bibliotherapeutic value, this book is successful as a story of the personal heroism sometimes needed to reach out to the world.

A girl longs for the courage to talk to some peers on their way to school, but something keeps preventing her: fear, represented as a crosshatched monster that dogs her on nearly every page. This marvelously attuned story is told with the help of comics-style panels but no words until the girl manages to utter the most necessary one: "Hi."

A young child finds the courage to banish a familiar monster in this nearly wordless picture book.The front endpapers depict a pencil drawing of a monster seen from the perspective of the artist. The story commences with the eponymous Molly reading in a window. She watches wistfully as a group of children crosses the street, but what's that behind them? It looks like the monster in her drawing, which she crumples angrily before rushing outside to approach the kids—but she does not interact. The monster—a manifestation of Molly's shyness—lingers behind a tree, watching. The children leave a book behind. Molly puts it in her bag and sets off after them, the monster a few steps behind. Molly's shyness multiplies as the monster is joined by a multitude of others; they dog her trail as she runs through horizontal panels, climbing trees and crawling through a log in order to elude them. How can Molly outwit her shyness? Maybe it's as simple as saying, "Hi." The artwork itself feels bashful, with soft colors and plenty of white space. Readers struggling with their own shyness will find inspiration in this plucky heroine. The crosshatched monsters, with sharp angles, mean mouths, and tiny eyes, are appropriately scary. Molly has tan skin and curly brown hair. One of the other children appears black; the others are white.Brave indeed. (Picture book. 4-8)