Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Who's There?



Booklist (May 15, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 18))
Preschool-Grade 1. For little BunBun, going to bed isn’t a problem—after all, he and his rabbit family live in the coziest little warren beneath a lovely Pooh-style tree. It’s that once he is snuggled in with his teddy bear, Boo, the anxiety begins: “Creak, creak, crinch, crinch, crinch, thwack-a-wack!” An ominous noise is coming from the hallway, and each time it gets closer and louder. The nonsense words Schaefer creates to communicate the noises are only part of the fun. Between each set of sounds, BunBun imagines the various monsters who might be approaching. It could be a Crusty Dumply Ogre (a pig in sandals) or a Grimy Gooey Ghoulie (a dog with a runny nose) or even a Splitch-kah-doo-mee Grabber (a rat with extendable mechanized arms). As rendered in Morgan’s ink-and-gouache artwork, none of these beasties are the least bit frightening, which makes this a solid everything-is-OK title to soothe panicked youngsters. The ultimate revelation—that it’s just his kid brother trailing a pull-toy—reaffirms the comforting status quo.

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