The Monster Bed [Paperback]

Susan Varley (Author), Jeanne Willis (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Little Dennis doesn't want to go to sleep because there might be something under his bed. Dennis isn't afraid of monsters--after all, he's a monster himself. He's afraid that humans will get him. His mother says that humans are only in made-up stories, but Dennis is not convinced.

Rollicking rhyme and delightfully detailed illustrations make this story of a bedtime surprise the perfect book for little monsters.Dennis the monster is scared. What if humans creep under his bed during the night? Mama assures him that humans aren't real -- but just try telling that to the lost little boy who wanders into Dennis's cave one night!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1 This comic picture book relates in rhyming couplets how a young monster named Dennis, who lives with his mother in a cave, is afraid to sleep in his bed because a human may be underneath. To protect himself, he begins to sleep under the bed. One day a boy playing hooky discovers Dennis' cave and lies down on the bed. Worried about monsters, he decides to check underneath, and to his horror, he finds Dennis and makes a hasty exit. Varley's bright watercolor and pen illustrations are in a perky and cheerful style that at times is reminiscent of Ardizzone. The illustrations are superior to the text, which has a tone of admonishment in its use of phrases like ``a little bad boy'' and ``you'd better behave.'' This would be a good supplement to story times with the theme of monsters at which other night time adventures, such as Where the Wild Things Are (Harper, 1963) by Maurice Sendak and There's a Nightmare in My Closet (Dial, 1968) by Mercer Mayer are featured. Lorraine Douglas, Winnipeg Public Library, Manitoba, Canada
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"A wonderful reversal of the usual monster tale." -- -- The New York Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperTrophy (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688167071
• ISBN-13: 978-0688167073
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,416,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, October 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Monster Bed (Library Binding)

I thought this book was so clever, charming, and witty. I love the little monster, and the equally afraid human. The illustrations are perfect for the story. All in all a great read.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Seven Year Old SON, January 23, 2000

By 

Kathleen G Cadran (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Monster Bed (Hardcover)

He borrowed the book at school and would not let it out of his sight! I was happy to finally see his huge interest in reading. He asked me to buy his very own book and I am doing just that.We both have enjoyed it so much I want him to have his very own to remember the fun we had together. sharing it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good bedtime story book 20 years ago and still practicable for today's little ones, February 8, 2008

By 

L. Sherman-young "Ms. PrimandProper" (Nassau, Bahamas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Monster Bed (Hardcover)

I was given the soft-cover version of this book upon leaving pre-school in England and almost twenty years later, I still have it,and glance at it from time to time, tattered and torn as it may be.

It captures the fear of many if not most children and flips it around geniously showing that even if monsters were real, they would not be scary and mean, but just as frightened as a four year old little boy or girl might be of going to bed.

Simple in style and language, and written in rhyming couplets, children who aren't yet able to read will be able to recite the book by heart even if they get the slightly altered "americanized" version.