In a child’s imaginary world of nighttime darkness, the simplest noises and shadows on the wall can creep into the preschooler’s mind, looming large and frightening. This little boy conjures up all sorts of unsettling images in his darkened bedroom as a noise beneath the bed alerts him to a breezy presence on the ceiling, a monster shadow on the wall, accompanied by some shadowy creature on the floor. When hiding beneath the covers is no longer an option, Mama, summoned to the rescue, brings love and reassurance, explaining each illusion with the concrete evidence of a sleeping puppy beneath the bed, a teddy bear’s and tree’s moonlit shadows on the wall and floor, and the night-air breeze through the window above the room. The Pumphreys employ a very simple rhyming text to help little ones identify with a classic theme. Litzinger’s bright mixed-media paintings evince a variety of emotions of fear, wonder, and relief through the gentle, soft expressive faces of the child, while the scary images have just the right touch of humor to make a menacing concept bearable. (Picture book. 2-4)
