THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS MONSTERS!

Little Bear (no relation to any who have gone before) is very excited to be big and have his own room. But when it’s time for bed, the room seems too dark and in the shadows he sees a monster! Big Bear returns to dispel all fears; the monster was only a stuffed stegosaurus on the chair. Everything’s fine again until Little Bear spies a monster’s tail under the bed! That one is only a stinky sock. When Little Bear hears a scary sound, it’s only Big Bear checking to make sure everything is OK. Big Bear returns to his big empty bed until HE hears a scary sound and fears he was wrong about those monsters…he finds, however, it’s only the sound of Little Bear snoring. The painted illustrations are bright and friendly despite the nighttime setting, and the Bears are more teddy than grizzly. Brits Pedler and Smallman have crafted a nice addition to the scared-at-bedtime genre with the added theme of a-new-big-bed. Still, its relentless cheeriness may have some parents wishing they’d chosen Frances instead. (Picture book. 3-7)