Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Fenton channels the dark humor of Edgar and Ellen and other creepsters in his first picture book. Putting himself to bed, Fred cannot stop worrying about creatures that might be lurking beneath it. Employing a very simple AB rhyme scheme, the book is a litany of Fred's fears. "Is it tall? Or rather small?" Fred, his haplessness signaled by the oversize glasses he wears even to sleep, finally summons the courage to peer under the bed and, predictably, finds his teddy bear, Ted. The ending suggests that Fred will spend the night awake anyway. "What's that noise? What's that sound?/ Is there something on the ground?" Although the text feels obvious, the cartoon art--shaded b&w drawings, with one additional spot of color per spread--is highly effective as it mimics the odd, shadowy perspectives and strange angles a child sees when peering around a dark room. White googly-eyes pop from the pages, and the hairy hungry creatures Fred imagines are at once scary and, for the stouthearted, humorous. Ages 3-7. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Fred is a reluctant sleeper who prefers playing with his teddy bear to putting his head to the pillow. Once he's under the covers, his imagination runs wild and he frets, "Could there be something under my bed?" Readers paying close attention to detail will notice his teddy falling to the floor. As Fred's worries take shape, he wonders, "Is it fat? Or is it thin?/Does it have a very big grin?/Does it have long nails?/Could it have two tails?" The pithy rhyming verse is complemented by atmospheric black-and-white mixed-media illustrations. The boy has a small body topped by a large round head, and pinpoint eyes and comma-shaped eyebrows peer through oversize glasses that obscure most of his face, giving him a deer-in-the-headlights look that accentuates his emotions. Splashes of red highlight the hairy fantasy creature that grows in proportion to his anxiety. Summoning his inner strength, the youngster finally looks under the bed, finding that "Hey, it's only Ted!" His relief is short-lived as he continues to speculate: "What's that noise? What's that sound?/Is there something on the ground?" With its up-in-the-air ending and shiver-inducing illustrations, this book probably won't totally alleviate monster fears, but it will be enjoyed by fans of spooky tales.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
It's nighttime, and Fred hears a noise. As his imagination takes hold, the bespectacled little boy begins to fret over what might be lurking under his bed. Fenton uses this familiar theme to present beginning readers with colors and opposites, and peppers his rhyming text with words they will recognize and know. Fred wonders, "Could it be green? / Or maybe it's red?... / Is it fat? / Or is it thin?" Black and white effectively convey the darkness of night, but at times the minimal use of color is not effectively used as a narrative tool; too, the preponderance of rounded shapes could confuse the reader's focus. The circular nature of his artwork does reflect the story line, as the end returns to the beginning. After Fred finally conjures up the courage to look down to find that it's "only Ted," he falls fast asleep on the floor, while a scared monster is left in bed to wonder, "What's that noise? What's that sound? / Is there something on the ground?" (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
