There Are Monsters Everywhere
PreSchool-Grade 2–A boy laments the many monsters everywhere he goes–his mom and dad can't see them, but he just knows they're there. They lurk nearby when he takes the trash out in the evening, on the other side of the curtain when he's taking a shower, and all over his room at night. (Thank goodness they're afraid of ladders and he sleeps on the top bunk.) When he sees a sign for karate classes, he decides it's time to learn some fancy moves and overcome his fears. Though the story is hardly groundbreaking, it is an accurate and humorous reflection of childhood concerns. Mayer's trademark cartoon style is well suited to the bevy of silly and scary monsters that skulk around corners and cower in terror before a child gains confidence and takes charge.–Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, ColumbiaCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.