CLYDE MONSTER
By
A little monster afraid to go to his cave to sleep at night for fear that people might be hiding there waiting to ""get me""--that's the minimally amusing switch this boils down to. Of course Kay Chorao's rendition of the imagined people consists of fair-haired moppets so cuddly they couldn't scare a flea, and her monster is essentially cute despite the protruding fangs and pointed ears. Little Clyde's parents entice him to bed with the news that ""A long time ago, monsters and people made a deal. . . . Monsters don't scare people and people don't scare monsters""--and with the reminder that he had never heard of any boys or girls frightened by a monster, or vice versa. This was written for the author's children who feared the dark and it's certainly a safe try, but our guess is that it's too mild to work.