TIDDLY AND WINKS

The creators of the Goosebumps and Arthur books launch a new series centered on a certifiably nonthreatening monster duo.

Winks, who resembles an amber-colored plushie with horns, is just trying to build a block tower when his bigger and wilier friend Tiddly, who looks like a green Muppet with the reddish hairstyle of a punk rocker, jumps out and yells “BOOO!” Winks’ blocks go tumbling. It’s the first of Tiddly’s efforts to “teach” Winks how not to be scared: “You will get it sooner or later, Winks.” They go outside, where it’s Tiddly who proves to be the scaredy-cat: “Oh no! A SPIDER?” he yelps. “Run for your life, Winks!” Once the terrified Tiddly has fled, readers learn that the spider is actually Winks’ pet, Slippy, and that Slippy and Winks had joined forces to teach Tiddly a lesson of their own. Stine and Brown’s book is fueled by personality dynamics more interesting than what’s typically found in early-reader fare: Tiddly is like a domineering older sibling who’s not so tough on the inside, whereas Winks, stuck in the subordinate role, ends up turning the tables by using his wits. As in his Arthur books, illustrator Brown keeps things congenial, presenting monsters who may have snaggleteeth and unkempt fur but are clearly pussycats underneath.

An entertaining and accessible start to a spooky-funny early-reader series.