Rosie and the Nightmares: Handprint Books
PreSchool-Grade 1–Rosie has nightmares so frightening that she seeks professional help. The dream specialist prescribes a book entitledEverything You Ever Wanted to Know about Monsters, which teaches her how to face her fears head-on. With determination, the little rabbit visits the Tunnel of Fear at an amusement park to see if she can put her recently discovered knowledge to practical use. The newly bold bunny attacks the monsters in a variety of ways: she wraps string around the snout of one, ties an eel-like monster into a knot, and uses a bone to disable the jaws of another. For the largest monster she had planned something especially mean: she kisses him in front of all his companions. Warmly colored, detailed pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations highlight the tale. There are a few problems with the story: Rosie clearly enjoys scaring the monsters and continues to bully them even after they are huddled together and cowering from fright. It appears that the author has created a monster and one wonders if the beasts are able to sleep at night after their encounter with Rosie. Ed Emberley'sGo Away, Big Green Monster!(Little, Brown, 1993) is still one of the best books for getting rid of pesky bedtime brutes.–Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.