THE BEAR UNDER THE STAIRS

This monster-in-a-closet is a daytime fear: William's grizzly invades his imagination when he spies something dark behind the door in the big, shadowy hall. As pictured, the bear is dauntingly large but not entirely fierce; pre-text takes show him arriving by bus, with luggage, an umbrella, and a mischievous glint in his eye. Still, he lurks in corners and under tables, so William finds it prudent to feed him; with eyes shut tight, he tosses offerings under the stairs until the smell alerts his parents and William explains; then he and Mom clean out the closet, shine light on the old chair with a furry rug over it, and shop for a cuddly teddy. Cooper's spare, nicely cadenced text offers a pleasing number of rhyming words (``lair''; ``pear''; etc.); the muted colors and shadowy corners in her perceptive illustrations nicely evoke the elusive boundaries, in a child's mind, between fantasy and reality. Unusually appealing. (Picture book. 3-7)