Nathaniel Willy, Scared Silly [Paperback]

Judith Mathews (Author), Alexi Natchev (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999 | Age Level: 4 and up

EEEEEEEEK!

"YOW-OW!" cries Nathaniel Willy when his door makes a terrible squeak as Gramma closes it for the night. Bedtime noises sure can be scary, but at least Nathaniel Willy is lucky enough to have a gramma who offers to bring him the cat who goes "Scrowll!" for company -- not to mention a dog who goes "Warff!", a pig who goes "Snoink!", and a cow who goes "Moo-moo-mangaroo!" But sharing his bed with all these loud animals still doesn't make the spooky squeaking noise go away. Gramma has to think of how to stop the EEEEEEEK!! so that both she and Nathaniel can finally get some sleep!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When a boy can't sleep, his grandmother provides him with bedtime company. "Bright colors and skewed angles capture the merry mayhem," said PW. Ages 4-7. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-Nathaniel Willy and his Gramma live in an old house. When his bedroom door develops a squeak, it scares him silly. Gramma tries to help by providing him with company-the cat, dog, pig, and finally the cow-but the noisy door still frightens Nathaniel Willy. Eventually an old wise woman is called in, and she oils the hinges, thus solving the problem and allowing everyone to get a good night's sleep. The tale is partially rhymed and, for the most part, has a good cadence when read aloud. It's similar to Laura Simms's The Squeaky Door (Crown, 1991; o.p.). Natchev's large, cartoonlike illustrations are brightly colored and humorous. Children will especially enjoy the depictions of the elderly woman carrying the bigger animals and putting them in the boy's bed. Bound to become a story-time favorite.
Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689829558
• ISBN-13: 978-0689829550
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,083,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Bedtime story!, May 27, 2000

By 

"charlie4" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nathaniel Willy, Scared Silly (Paperback)

My 3 year old son loves this story. He enjoys the repetitive story and is bemused by the grandmother who runs around trying to help her grandson get to sleep. This is not a scary story and in fact, helps me get my son to sleep. It is also very funny, especially when all of the animals are in the bed with Nathaniel and the bed breaks. It is a fairy tale which is why it is so fun. Enjoy the story with your child or grandchild.

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming story with wonderful language, November 20, 2001

By 

J. Faraco (Menlo Park, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nathaniel Willy, Scared Silly (Paperback)

My son brought this book home from kindergarten for me to read. I love the way it's written and plan to buy it as a gift. Even on the first reading, the words really flow off the tongue and it's a blast to read out loud. The story itself is charming and quite silly. Why would a grandmother put a cow in a child's bed to help him sleep? This is a typical story format for young children, basically repetitive with new items added each time. The repetitive style is naturally good for children around age 3, while the illustrations,zany nature of the story and the acceleration of reading speed enchant older children. The text invites plenty of sound effects for those who get dramatic while reading out loud. This is one of those stories your child may want every night -have fun!