What's Under the Bed? [Hardcover]

Joe Fenton (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Fred doesn't want to go to sleep, he's worried about what is hiding underneath his bed. Is it big? Is it small? Is it skinny? is it tall? Hardly any text is needed to tell this adorable story because the accompanying illustrations are so lively and bold. And never fear, what is under the bed is as harmless as Ted, Fred's stuffed bear.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fenton channels the dark humor of Edgar and Ellen and other creepsters in his first picture book. Putting himself to bed, Fred cannot stop worrying about creatures that might be lurking beneath it. Employing a very simple AB rhyme scheme, the book is a litany of Fred's fears. Is it tall? Or rather small? Fred, his haplessness signaled by the oversize glasses he wears even to sleep, finally summons the courage to peer under the bed and, predictably, finds his teddy bear, Ted. The ending suggests that Fred will spend the night awake anyway. What's that noise? What's that sound?/ Is there something on the ground? Although the text feels obvious, the cartoon art—shaded b&w drawings, with one additional spot of color per spread—is highly effective as it mimics the odd, shadowy perspectives and strange angles a child sees when peering around a dark room. White googly-eyes pop from the pages, and the hairy hungry creatures Fred imagines are at once scary and, for the stouthearted, humorous. Ages 3–7. (Sept.)
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From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Fred is a reluctant sleeper who prefers playing with his teddy bear to putting his head to the pillow. Once he's under the covers, his imagination runs wild and he frets, "Could there be something under my bed?" Readers paying close attention to detail will notice his teddy falling to the floor. As Fred's worries take shape, he wonders, "Is it fat? Or is it thin?/Does it have a very big grin?/Does it have long nails?/Could it have two tails?" The pithy rhyming verse is complemented by atmospheric black-and-white mixed-media illustrations. The boy has a small body topped by a large round head, and pinpoint eyes and comma-shaped eyebrows peer through oversize glasses that obscure most of his face, giving him a deer-in-the-headlights look that accentuates his emotions. Splashes of red highlight the hairy fantasy creature that grows in proportion to his anxiety. Summoning his inner strength, the youngster finally looks under the bed, finding that "Hey, it's only Ted!" His relief is short-lived as he continues to speculate: "What's that noise? What's that sound?/Is there something on the ground?" With its up-in-the-air ending and shiver-inducing illustrations, this book probably won't totally alleviate monster fears, but it will be enjoyed by fans of spooky tales.—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416949437
• ISBN-13: 978-1416949435
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,270,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Under the Bed, September 23, 2008

By 

A. D. Cox (northern PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: What's Under the Bed? (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

As the nights grow longer, this is a fun book for the Halloween season. Every kid feels there is something under the bed, and this book with great black and white illustrations will help a child's imagination. This book may be frightening to read at bedtime, even though it has a happy ending. So, I would read it at an earlier time to see the children's response, but I loved the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dynamic illustrations... but a bit scary for the littlest ones, September 25, 2008

By 

N. Ferguson "Two, Daisy, Hannah, and Kitten" (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's Under the Bed? (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This is a classic "I think there's a monster under my bed" story.

On the negative side... I think this book would be scary bedtime reading for many little ones. I definitely would not read it to a toddler (2-3) and would be very cautious in sharing it with sensitive children. If your child asks for a nightlight, is afraid of the dark, or gets worried at bedtime I'd either skip this book or be sure to use it very carefully as a way to help kids process their fears.

On the positive side... the illustrations are really interesting and energetic. The book jacket indicates that the illustrator worked for Disney at one point in his career. That got me thinking... the illustrations all convey a really interesting feeling of movement and action, much like a storyboard proposal for an animation sequence. The only aspect of the illustrations which I didn't really appreciate was Fred's enormous eyes/tiny body-- for me, somehow that made it a little harder to process the images on the page.

Overall I think the illustrator is very talented, and look forward to seeing more of his work.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BOO!!!!!, September 22, 2008

By 

Karen Joan "Siren" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: What's Under the Bed? (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

In WHAT'S UNDER THE BED? by Joe Fenton:

We meet young Fred
and his bear, Ted,
just as it is time for bed.

Fred would rather play with Ted,
but it is clearly time for bed.

Fred and Ted go to bed,
but Fred cannot lay down his head-
the sounds he hears fill him with dread.

What is underneath Fred's bed?
Is it green or is it red?

Fred sure hopes that it's been fed,
Because it just might eat his bed...
Oh where, oh where, oh where is Ted?

Fred finally looks beneath his bed,
and there he finds his friend, Ted.

WHAT'S UNDER THE BED? perfectly depicts every young child's twin fears of the dark and of what might be hiding under the bed. As Fred's dramatic imagination starts to take on a life of its own, the monsters in his mind grow and grow, becoming more and more incredible. Finally, Fred screws up his courage and looks under the bed, and finds nothing more than his teddy bear. But in the end, the question becomes who is really scaring whom?

The illustrations in WHAT'S UNDER THE BED? are rich, detailed and wonderful, with an almost animated feel. Mostly black and white with just hints and splashes of color, the light and shadow perfectly mimic a child's fear of the dark, of things hidden in the shadows. The growing characteristics of the monster itself represent Fred's growing fear of the creature as it become more real and more vivid in his mind.

Based on the above, you might think that is book is too scary for a young child; however, let me assure you that my three year old loved it. She made me read it to her three times tonight. The rhyme and rhythm of the story are simple and easy to follow, and help to mitigate any real fear. The beautiful and engaging pictures have just enough of a comic element to quell any true scariness. The author/illustrator has cleverly and brilliantly walked a fine line between exciting and scary.

I believe that WHAT'S UNDER THE BED? will become a classic, something that the children of today will pass on to their children and grandchildren. This creative, sweet, adventurous, funny story will be around for a long, long time.