Sarah has stayed at Ann’s house too late. If she calls her dad, he’ll get mad; so Sarah decides to walk home in the dark and sneak up to her room. On her short trek across the neighborhood, she meets one very hairy scary fright after another: giant spider, bat, skunk, bear, ape, and lion. Just when she is sure they are all going to catch her, out pops Dad. Walton’s silly, rhymed story is matched perfectly to Clark’s exaggerated, cartoonish watercolors. Each of Sarah’s frights is an innocent object: grill, sheet, skateboard, mailbox, shadow, and planter given hairy scary life by the dark and her imagination. The tale’s repetition and the toothy monsters will tickle and titillate storytime crowds any time of year and will certainly find a place on the bibliotherapy shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
