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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:Jitterbug Jamby Barbara Jean Hicks and Alexis Deacon
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:What does this monster have under his bed? Bobo is a young monster who's afraid to sleep in his own bed. He is sure there is a boy hiding beneath it — a boy with "pink skin and orange fur on his head where his horns should be." Bobo's older brother thinks he's a fraidy-cat, but his grandpa, Boo-Dad, knows all about these fearful creatures. And Boo-Dad knows exactly what to do to scare them away. But after being afraid for so long, Bobo might just want to take matters into his own paws and find out if the creature under his bed really is as bad as he thinks. This rambunctious story of a youngster overcoming anxiety and limitations is set in a captivating otherworld that springs to life in pictures full of enchantment and surprise. Review:"This disarming monster-under-the-bed story upholds the tradition of tales such as Mercer Mayer's There's a Nightmare in My Closet but reverses the roles. Bobo is a nervous monster child with a monkeylike body, round snout and yellow horns. 'I'm not fooling you: there's a boy who hides in my big old monster closet,' he insists. Bobo shudders to think of the boy's 'pink skin and orange fur on his head where his horns by right should be.' He confides his fears to his grandfather, Boo-Dad, while they eat 'homemade bread with jitterbug jam.' In return, Boo-Dad tells a story (pictured in a gauzy, nostalgic garden sequence that alludes to Rackham and Tenniel) about his terrifying childhood encounter with a girl and advises Bobo on dealing with humans. In the inevitable confrontation, Bobo finds that he and the boy have much in common, such as bossy older brothers. Hicks, making his debut, tells the tale from Bobo's quaint viewpoint. 'I'm no fraidy-cat, neither,' Bobo protests, shivering at the boy's 'scritch-scratch-skittering' and running for cover 'quick as lickety-split 'n' spit-fish.' Deacon (Beegu) pictures the hairless, beige-skinned monsters as not quite cute, not quite scary. The middle-distance perspective keeps them safely at arm's length and — except at the moment he bravely speaks to the boy — Bobo lowers his head and does not look readers in the eye. The colloquial voice and uncanny illustrations create a slightly surreal, dreamy ambience, and the reassuring conclusion respects Bobo's (or anyone's) fear of the unknown. Ages 3-8." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"[T]his will have younger readers, timorous or otherwise, flocking to it 'quick as lickety-split 'n' spit-fish.'" Kirkus Reviews (Starred Reviews) Review:"First-time writer Hicks' folksy, slightly off-kilter language, full of fractured grammar and quirky aphorisms, keeps the sense of an exotic, alternate reality watertight." Booklist (Starred Review) Review:"A fully realized world where everything is opposite expectations yet utterly familiar. With plenty of scope for the storyteller's vocal talent and with illustrations to savor, this is a book to fall into over and over again." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (Starred Review) About the AuthorBarbara Jean Hicks lives in Seattle, Washington, where she is author-in-residence at an elementary school. This is her first book for children.
Alexis Deacon's previous book, Beegu, was a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year. He lives in London, England. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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