It’s nighttime, and Fred hears a noise. As his imagination takes hold, the bespectacled little boy begins to fret over what might be lurking under his bed. Fenton uses this familiar theme to present beginning readers with colors and opposites, and peppers his rhyming text with words they will recognize and know. Fred wonders, “Could it be green? / Or maybe it’s red?... / Is it fat? / Or is it thin?” Black and white effectively convey the darkness of night, but at times the minimal use of color is not effectively used as a narrative tool; too, the preponderance of rounded shapes could confuse the reader’s focus. The circular nature of his artwork does reflect the story line, as the end returns to the beginning. After Fred finally conjures up the courage to look down to find that it’s “only Ted,” he falls fast asleep on the floor, while a scared monster is left in bed to wonder, “What’s that noise? What’s that sound? / Is there something on the ground?” (Picture book. 3-7)
