Shutterbug

by Merry Gordon, Eddie Gordon (illustrator)

When Tinseltown hits a dry spell, a down-on-his-luck drifter and his lightning bug buddy turn 1930s Hollywood upside down for the next big headline. Join Don and Shutterbug on a romp through cinema's Golden Age as they shake up the town!

32 pages, Paperback

Published January 14, 2020

About the author

Occasional scribbler and freelance editor. Perennial teacher. Reader of books from the classics to the geekily obscure. Lover of all things vintage. Wife, mother, armchair historian, champion of the Oxford comma, and nerd.

Current obsession: prostitution in the Old West. I'm dusting off the city archives and racking up books on soiled doves. Coming April 2026: Arizona's Murdered Madams: Death in the Red-Light Districts, the true tales of three madams, their murders, and moral mayhem in early Arizona. Stay tuned, history lovers....

Reviews

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers will be intrigued with the story of the cinema’s Golden Age in this fun picture book by Merry Gordon and illustrated by her husband Eddie Gordon. The story is interesting and great fun with rhyming, as well as references to making money taking photos at Tinseltown and Hollywoodland and what to do when the theaters shut down. But, it’s the amazing black and white pictures that helps make the story really come to life. The idea of crafting the pictures in black and white to match the time period was genius. Readers are going to thoroughly enjoy this marvelous book!

Genre: children’s, picture book, Golden Age
Publisher: Pink Umbrella Books
Publication date: January 14, 2020
Number of pages: 32

Disclosure statement: A complimentary review copy of this book was provided from tour groups, publishers, publicists, and authors, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, Or borrowed from Kindle Unlimited OR pre-ordered/purchased for review. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

[Janell Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Shutterbug”-Written by Merry Gordon and Illustrated by Eddie Gordon

“Great rhymes and fun references to Tinseltown and Old Hollywoodland make “Shutterbug” great! Your kids will love the fun words and the illustrations!-Green Gables Book Reviews

If you love rhymes and old Hollywoodland, this book is for you!

Ol’ Don and his bug are down on their luck when they get lucky and find an old camera! A new world opens up for them! Snapping starlets and filming famous mugs-everything is great! They’re making money!

Until the theatres close! What will they do? They’ve got to eat! They need to find a good story!

Then, they come up with a plan and soon, they’re “coming up Aces!”

Love, love the glossary in the back for the slang references. Great terms your kids can use like “Bee’s Knees”, “Easy Street”, “In the Red,” “Shutterbug” and more! Great rhymes, fun story! Very cute book!

Thank you to Pink Umbrella Books for asking me to join this Blog Tour!

Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Pink Umbrella Books LLC (December 9, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1949598128
ISBN-13: 978-1949598124

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fun picture book! I liked the way it rhymed. The rhyming reminded me a bit of the way Dr. Seuss wrote.

This is the story of a man and his shutterbug in Hollywoodland. The author has used clever, old fashioned phrases. I loved the way a glossary of these phrases was included in the back. I had heard of most of them, but my little guy hadn’t heard of any of them.

I liked the illustrations, but they are all black and white. I really wished that at least some of them had been in color. I understand why they did the book this way, but I really like color pictures for kids.

The story in this one is original. I think that adults will probably like it more than kids. Just because of some of the iconic things in it. But it’s a fun book that you’ll enjoy reading.

I was sent a copy of Shutterbug by the publisher. All opinions are my own.