Mummy & me A monster's tale

What do a wee wolf and its mummy get up to all night? The young furry narrator shares its version of events in this sweetly scary slice-of-life story. After a good day's sleep, getting dressed in bandage wraps, doing twilight stretches, and slurping a lunch of midnight stew are all on the agenda. Though the wolf claims to be "a perfectly well-behaved monster," Mohiuddin's kinetic illustrations tell the truth, depicting the wee animal crashing through its routines with a whirling-dervish level of energy as Mummy--all glowing yellow eyes, green bones, and free-flapping bandages--exercises true parent-of-a-toddler patience. Later, sunrise signals the wind-down of taking a bath alongside a squidlike creature, chomping off the toothbrush head while cleaning teeth, and reading a book--Hairy Tales--before bed. The message of parent-child unconditional love shines through the chaos, especially during the duo's stress-relieving dance sequence, which moves from pouty to party. Ages 3--6. (Aug.)

Mohiuddin pays homage to the loving bond between parent and child. A "wee wolf" and its mother--a literal mummy--frolic at night. Awakening from a "good day's sleep," they rise from their casket bed. Wolf helps Mummy prepare lunch: midnight stew, filled with bones and eyeballs. "I try to be a perfectly well-behaved monster for Mummy," Wolf tells us. "I use my indoor voice. I have excellent table manners." (The rollicking illustrations clearly reveal otherwise.) Like all kids and parents, Wolf and Mummy do have fractious moments, but music soothes their conflicts. Finally, at dawn, Mummy announces that it's bedtime. Time to clean up messes, brush teeth, and bathe. Naturally, Mummy reads Wolf a story:Hairy Tales. Wolf falls asleep knowing that no matter what, Mummy will always be there, providing love and support. Wolf wants to be just like Mummy one day "and do all of the most Mummy things there are to do." And on nights when she's "feeling a little undone…I will always be there, too." This sweet, knowing, tongue-in-cheek nod to a genuinely loving parent-child relationship, written from the youngster's perspective, will leave readers smiling. The real draw is the crisp, dynamic artwork, filled with very witty, nonfrightening yet monstrous details. Wolf is endearing; Mummy is very loosely bandaged and has yellow, glowing eyes. Pure fun and proof that kids can sometimes be monsters, but we (usually) wouldn't have it any other way.(Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.