Brave Little Monster ANNOTATION
A little monster has trouble falling asleep one night because he fears little boys and girls are hiding under his bed and in his closet.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
If little boys and girls are afraid of monsters hiding under their beds, then what ar elittle monsters afraid of at night? Little boys and girls! As Albert the monster lies in bed one night—goose bumps covering his hairy arms, his fangs chattering with fright—he's convinced there are scary boys and girls lurking nearby. But when his mother tells him that there are no such things as boys and girls, Albert must summon up all of his courage to get rid of them by himself!
FROM THE CRITICS
School Library Journal
PreS-K-This story puts a spin on Mercer Mayer's There's a Nightmare in My Closet (Turtleback, 1968) and James Howe's There's a Monster under My Bed (Atheneum, 1986). Albert, a monster, is terrified of little boys and girls. He knows they lurk in his closet and under his bed, waiting to eat him up. His mother tells him that there are no such phenomena, but this does nothing to alleviate his fears. Finally, with pounding heart, Albert confronts the demons so that he can sleep. Unfortunately, this silly story lacks charm. Baker gives too many plot details that negate any element of fear (a boy playing "piggie" with the monster's toes is not scary). Hayes's colorful artwork is clever, adding details of a bone for a curtain rod and a monster portrait on the wall, but too busy, thus detracting from the story. Telling a tale from the monster's point of view is an enticing concept, but it has been done more creatively in Philippe Corentin's Papa! (Chronicle, 1997) and Jackie French Koller's No Such Thing (Boyds Mills, 1997).-Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Little monsters fear little girls and boys hiding in their rooms in this delightful parody of a nightly bedtime ritual. Albert's mother has told him time and again that there are no such things as little girls and boys, but still Albert knows they are there. Little girls hide in the closet and drip ice cream on monster's clothes before eating up the monster, and little boys hide under the bed quietly coloring, just waiting for little monsters to leave the bed so they can play piggie on their toes-before they eat them up. When calling his mother doesn't give him any satisfaction, Albert tackles the menace himself with two unique and childlike solutions. But still he fears being eaten. In a final act of bravery, Albert settles his nighttime fears and is able to fall asleep, proud of his accomplishment. Newcomer Baker brings humor to a situation that often has children in tears and parents unable to cope. Just maybe Albert has given them some useful strategies, especially if making a rude noise seems like an acceptable solution. Hayes's (Thump and Plunk, not reviewed, etc.) illustrations perfectly complement the text. Parents need not worry that Albert will invoke rather than allay fears-he is an adorable little monster, whose human-like emotions are plain on his face. While this is by no means the first of its kind-Jeanne Willis's The Monster Bed (1987) is still the benchmark-it's a great addition to the group of stories that puts monsters in the category of "things that fear you more than you fear them." (Picture book. 3-7)
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