THE GREAT MONSTER HUNT

This picture book by veterans Landa and Warnes puts a stale spin on a timeless lesson: There’s no use in making a mountain out of molehill, or, in this case, a monster out of a mouse. When Duck hears suspicious noises coming from under her bed, she turns to her trusty forest friends, Pig, Bear, Wolf and Owl, to help investigate what horrid creature must be lurking under her bed. As each one passes the message along to the other, the monster becomes more and more terrifying and makes increasingly more menacing noises—from the “pshh pshh!” Duck initially hears to a cumulative “pshh pshh, grrr, bang bang, wham wham, grrrowl! OOOOOOoooeeeeee!”—until they finally decide to face the beast head on. The gang is left feeling silly when they realize the awful monster they’ve imagined is nothing more than an innocuous little mouse. The Disney-esque depictions of the likable-enough, though entirely bland characters make both figures and setting seem recycled rather than fresh. Although there is an important lesson to be learned here, this picture book would’ve benefited from a bit more imagination. (Picture book. 3-6)