Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Actor Mendes, making her picture book debut, offers a practical approach to mindfulness cloaked in a story of bedtime fears. When distressed young Desi insists there's a monster under the bed, Mami firmly responds, "No way, chica! I already cleared out all the monsters." As the two chat through the child's concerns, Desi says, "It feels like I'm always worried.... Maybe it's my brain that's the monster?!" Mami explains how brains are so busy that they sometimes "get used to being on high alert and forget how to relax." Moreover, if they're not given positive things to process, "they can act like bullies with thoughts we DON'T want to think about." Stressing that no one is their brain, Mami shows Desi ways to separate from negative thoughts, including empowering techniques such as visualization and deep breathing. Bryant's lively digital images include a friendly brain, pink and cloudlike, and a domestic world of soothing aquas and magentas. Characters cue as Latinx. A Spanish version publishes simultaneously. Ages 3--6. (Sept.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--Desi, a young brunette girl, fears a monster under her bed. Is her brain playing tricks, or is it so busy that it forgets to relax, giving way to thoughts of sadness, shadows, darkness, and other scary things? Desi's mom helps her navigate her fear and find empowerment by being the boss of her brain. This picture book focuses on how a mom helps her child reach inferences about the power of positive thoughts and facing fears. The English edition, set in a small font of one-to-five lines of text, is interspersed with a handful of Spanish terms. The Spanish version flows effortlessly with a literal translation that works well in a bilingual bedtime story time. Bryant presents pleasing, digitally created art that accompanies the narrative with simplicity; thoughtful details underscore the characters' expressions and the familiar nighttime setting. The primarily single, full-page illustrations give way to sporadic spot illustrations, highlighting a soft palette of colorful art that merrily conveys the story's plot and the young girl's imagination. VERDICT This joins a long list of picture books addressing the "monster under my bed" topic, but the focus on the mother provides a realistic setting that may appeal to adults tasked with putting their kids to bed.--Kathia Ibacache
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In actor Mendes' debut picture book, an anxious young sleeper learns to overcome scary nighttime thoughts with help from Mami. A cry shatters the peaceful night. "MAMI! There's a monster under my bed!" Mami rushes to Desi's room, where no monsters await. Instead, worries plague the young girl. Is Desi's brain the real monster? Mami quells those fears. After all, the brain holds many jobs ("learning new things, solving problems"), but sometimes it brings unwanted thoughts, almost like a bully. With encouragement from her mom, Desi realizes that she's the boss of her rogue mind. She can try to separate herself from pushy thoughts to feel calm; she can even blow negative thoughts away with the might of positive ones. It just takes a little patience. Brava! Perhaps bedtime isn't so scary. Mendes tackles the delicate matter of nighttime woes--familiar to children and adults alike--with compassion, framing her tale as a discussion between mother and daughter. The often clunky text disrupts the otherwise serene tone. Still, though the advice is a bit pat, many readers will find it useful. Rich with purples, blues, and pinks among interludes of puffy white clouds, Bryant's pitch-perfect artwork serves the text well; Desi's anthropomorphic brain, clad in a nightcap, is an especially fun addition. Desi and Mami read Latine. Practical, if somewhat fluffy, bedtime guidance, hampered by muddled prose.(Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
