THERE'S A MONSTER UNDER MY BED

A funny, believable story similar to There's a Nightmare in My Closet in theme, but With a touch of brotherly love to defeat that nighttime nervousness. Simon wonders whether there are monsters under his bed. Finally, he summons up the courage to use a flashlight to look--and there is: his little brother, Alex, who is hiding from the monster under his bed. He volunteers to show it to Simon, who quickly declines; they decide to spend the night together. As Simon says, ""What's a brother for?"" Simon's imagined monsters are conjured by Rose's soft, four-color paintings with varying results: the drooly monsters are nicely disgusting, but the fat monsters are clichÉs. Scary but satisfyingly so; should do well as a standard title for older readers who still like their night lights on.