Next book

A MONSTROUS BEDTIME

A creature feature worthy of every child’s nightly routine.

An ode to bedtime anxieties and a love letter to the rituals that soothe them.

Having drunk a cup of water, listened to a story, and sung a song, a pale-skinned youngster is snuggled up and ready to snooze when…wait a moment…has anyone checked on the monster under the bed? Unfortunately, the child’s supernatural roommate is wide awake, but our plucky, problem-solving protagonist has a plan. Taking the creature by the tentacle, the child repeats the bedtime routine with the monster in tow—but, self-assured to a fault and with a flair for the dramatic, the empathetic tot inadvertently wreaks havoc at every turn. By the time the monster, an octopodan shadow more hapless than spooky, carries the kid to bed once more, they’ve both left behind a series of comedically chaotic surprises for the parents who’ll rouse them come morning. A departure from more classically monstrous bedtime fare, this narrative removes fear from the equation entirely, offering an innovative, collaborative spin on the relationship between child and monster. Likely to become a part of readers’ own bedtime routines, this nighttime tale feels like a recipe for a sedating witch’s brew. A complement to her comforting text, Wilson’s illustrative use of negative space is reminiscent of Maurice Sendak’s work—one of many homages to another iconic bedtime tale—and her palette and art style evoke a vintage, Sunday-paper comic. The effect is thoroughly charming.

A creature feature worthy of every child’s nightly routine. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2025

ISBN: 9780063335615

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025

Next book

IMANI'S MOON

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...

Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.

The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Mackinac Island Press

Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014

Next book

CLAYMATES

The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...

Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.

A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.

The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: June 20, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017

Close Quickview