My New Shirt — Cary Fagan

My New Shirt

Written by Cary Fagan
Illustrated by Dusan Petricic

Receiving the yearly birthday gift from his grandmother has become David’s living nightmare. The “surprise” she always has for him never varies. How can he stop this never-ending flow of stiff, white, scratchy shirts — “perfect gentlemen” shirts that make him squirm and pull and shift and twitch? David closes his eyes and imagines a long line of shirts — one for every year of his life — stretching on forever. Then suddenly, without really intending to, he has done the unthinkable.

“DAVID!” his mother screams. And when David opens his eyes, there are his mother, his father, and his bubbie staring at him. The shirt is no longer in his hands. He has thrown it out the window! Now it is out on the street, in the jaws of his dog, and the very merry chase is on.

Bitingly funny and keenly observed, My New Shirt is graphically presented as a photo album commemorating David’s desperate act of liberation from a family tradition badly in need of a change.

Governor General's Literary Award Finalist for Illustration

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award Finalist

Blue Spruce Award Finalist

"[A] deliciously funny book. Full of humor and an apprecition for family situations, this picture book is sure to find a wide audience."
— Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review

"A wonderful text, with wonderful illustrations."
— Montreal Gazette

"Hilarious. A testament to Cary Fagan's comic timing."
— The Globe & Mail