In welcome contrast to the many books like There's a Nightmare in My Closet, here's a realistic story about the resolution of nighttime fears. When the boy narrator wakes, it's dark and the wind is howling. When the lights don't work, he and dog Biff set out to find his parents--but their bed is empty. Everything seems scary in the dark house; but each time a new fear looms, the boy figures out what is frightening him--tree branches against the window, the clock striking twelve. Then his own image, carrying the white dog, gleams out of the mirror and so startles him that he cries out, which rouses his parents--kept awake by the banging branches, they were sleeping downstairs on the sofa. Candles and a good four-in-a-bed snuggle make a cozy conclusion; though the boy has dealt sensibly with all his fears, it's comforting to know where his parents are. Carrick's dark scenes are painted with his usual sure touch, making the familiar believably spooky as lit by a full moon through the breaking clouds of a storm-filled sky. A pleasant story about self-reliance; sure to be useful.
