I WILL READ TO YOU

A child shares bedtime stories with supernatural creatures.

Dressed in a green cape, the young narrator channels Sendak’s Max, climbing a doorway in a cozy living room littered with pillows and a jack-o’-lantern while a scolding but clearly loving mother declares it’s time for bed. With the child tucked in, Mother reads a story about monsters—the little one’s favorite—but the protagonist wonders who will read to the creatures of the night. The child’s compassion is contagious, and soon the mother follows the young narrator into the rural surroundings to call vampires, dragons, mummies, goblins, ghouls, and trolls to a storytime on a small hill. As the child reads to them, the monsters begin to settle down; the pile of snoozing creatures will elicit smiles from children and adults alike. Well-composed illustrations are rich in texture, dominated by blues, black, and the warm yellow glows of flashlights and the moon. This tale will extend well beyond the Halloween season even though trademarks of the holiday are present throughout—this is ultimately a story about caring for the unseen and the power of books to unite and soothe. Mother and child are light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Will have young readers eagerly wondering about what goes bump in the night.