The Tickle Monster Is Coming!
Kindergarten-Grade 2—At bedtime, a young monster anxiously awaits the arrival of the Tickle Monster, a nocturnal creature that is never directly depicted in the artwork but nevertheless seems omnipresent: "His nose knows the scent of your toothpaste./His ears hear your pj's unfold./He senses your dread as you climb into bed—/he can see through your ceiling, I'm told." Peeking hesitantly from beneath his covers, the youngster notices ominous dark shadows on the wall. The rhyming verse builds anticipation of the impending attack. The Tickle Monster will show no mercy: "You'll squirm! You'll dance!/(You may wet your pants)." When the defenseless imp has had enough, the intruder will offer a hug, "wiggle under the rug,/and sink through a crack in the floor." The acrylic illustrations' somber brown and dark-green palette creates a spooky atmosphere. Although there are "giggles and grins" at the end, readers may be left with more of a sense of trepidation than of tongue-in-cheek playfulness.—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, CanadaCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.