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THE MONSTER ABOVE THE BED

Name: THE MONSTER ABOVE THE BED
Author: Kailei Pew
ISBN: 9780063271326

by Kailei Pew ; illustrated by Steph Lew ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 24, 2023

A fun look at monsters above and below the bed.

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A typical childhood fear turns out to be true…sort of.

Blossom is an adorable tot convinced that a monster that lives above her bed causes the creaks, rattles, and grunts she hears each night. Readers will be delighted at Blossom’s appearance: She has turquoise fur, tiny orange horns, one giant eye, and rosy cheeks…she’s a “monster” herself. When her parents fail to find or even hear anything unusual in her room, Blossom takes matters into her own hands. Collecting the gear she needs and climbing through her window, she emerges from under a bed, only to be caught by the “monster,” a human child with brown skin and a dark ponytail. The child unlocks the trap, and Blossom escapes, but now she has a new theory to test. Armed with a pencil, notebook, and camera, she spies on the “monster” and comes to the realization that it’s not a monster but a friend above her bed, and the two have great fun together. While the bright digital illustrations are a joy, they also may raise questions, since Blossom and the human are about the same size: Where’s the window to Blossom’s room, and how does all that fit under the human’s bed? Regardless, this is a welcome addition to the canon of books exploring this popular childhood fear. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A fun look at monsters above and below the bed. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2023

ISBN: 9780063271326

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL

- BOOK REVIEW
I SEE COLOR
by Valerie Bolling & Kailei Pew ; illustrated by Laylie Frazier

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KID-VENTORS
by Kailei Pew ; illustrated by Shannon Wright

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HELLO THERE, SUNSHINE

by Tabitha Brown ; illustrated by Olivia Duchess ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2025

Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale.

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Actor, social media star, and entrepreneur Brown pens a joyful paean to positive thinking in her children’s debut.

Brown-skinned Tab rides a strawberry-themed bike, accompanied by a curly-haired black dog, Grady. Tab’s dazzling smile and wide eyes signal the upbeat theme echoed in the text, celebrating the sun’s warmth, which “fills everyone up with joy.” But Tab’s mood shifts, as it’s a “cloudy and gray” June day. Alert readers will spot the dog’s smiling countenance and note glimpses of sunny yellow butterflies and flowers. Mama’s reassurance that there’s “always a chance” for sunshine also underscores the optimism. Tab and Grady bike through suburban streets “to find the sun.” Along the way, the two stop to assist a neighbor building a birdhouse, loft a kite for friends Frankie and Fonte, and lend a hand to others, all while still having fun. Mama steers Tab toward an eventual understanding of the real source of joy: Though the sun didn’t appear, “I brightened everyone’s day!” The illustrations subtly underscore the message of this radiant story as touches of gold lighten the palette, which ends with sunny brilliance. Most characters read Black, though Tab’s community includes people who vary in skin tone, body type, and ability.

Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 11, 2025

ISBN: 9780063342262

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: March 21, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)