WHAT'S THAT IN THE WALL?

All week long, a child imagines different scenarios to explain eerie nocturnal sounds coming from the bedroom walls.

“Each night I hear noises—and I don’t mean Dad’s snores. My imagination takes flight, and quickly it soars.” On Sunday, a “BOOM! BASH! BAM!” is surely the result of a “donkey kicking a pan!” On Monday, the youngster hears a “SLITHER! SCRAPE! SCRATCH!” But don’t worry; it’s just a “snake, and it’s lighting a match!” Walton’s painterly artwork initially sets an eerie tone; the tale opens on a bedroom dominated by blue, the sole contrast coming from beneath the coverlet: the young narrator’s pale face, red hair, and round white eyeballs. But the child’s fantasies are entirely goofy: The donkey sports a mustache and a chef’s cap; the bowtie-clad serpent lights a candle while gazing at a plate of spaghetti. Finally, at breakfast on Saturday, the child opens up about the strange sounds. The rest of the family begins hearing them, too, and after Dad and the protagonist investigate, they find the true culprit, bringing the tale to a satisfying conclusion. Walton’s chipper text will have kids happily anticipating the refrain (“What’s that in the wall?”). Alternating fearful moments with sillier ones, Walton acknowledges that nighttime can be unnerving for youngsters while encouraging them to face their anxieties head-on.

Soothing rhythm and rhyme for anyone who dreads bedtime.