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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A monster as a pal, May 3, 2004
It's "Patton" for children. No really, it is! Having just finished reviewing "Swimmy", the 1963 predecessor to "Finding Nemo", it seems fitting that I should also review "There's a Nightmare In My Closet", the 1968 predecessor to "Monsters, Inc." Looking like nothing so much as an alternative, "Where the Wild Things Are", Mercer Mayer's late 60s concoction is a tale of how a small boy stands up to his fears and finds them not to be as scary as he had thought.Told in the first person, the story tells how a young boy, outfitted in those cute footie pajamas with the flap in the back, used to be scared of the nightmare in his closet before going to bed. Each night the boy would close the closet door then hide under his sheets. That all changes the night the boy pops on his general's helmet and outfits himself with a toy canon, toy soldiers, and a pop gun to rid himself of his nightmare once and for all. Sure enough, when the lights are out the monster comes creeping and perches on the foot of the bed but the boy is ready. He threatens it to leave and when he shoots his pop gun the nightmare bursts into tears. It's really a pitiful sight. Relenting, the boy tucks the monster in his bed, closes the closet door, and snuggles down to share the bed with his nightmare. As the boy ends the tale with, "I suppose there's another nightmare in my closet, but my bed's not big enough for three", sure enough, another monster sticks out his head and smiles winningly at the reader whilst the two others sleep blissfully. When you think of all the mediocre monster books out there, this story really is remarkable. Compare this book to "Go Away, Big Green Monster", for example. There's just no comparison. And for its 1968 publication date, the story really feels very contemporary. The adept pen and ink illustrations combine successfully with the no-nonsense tone of the narration to produce a real class act. The boy in the pictures really does resemble All in all, this is just a nice story about confronting your fears and finding that sometimes they're not as bad as you think. You have to love the illustrations as well. The single shot of the nightmare tucked in the bed gesturing worriedly at the open closet door is so very sad. Any child that's a fan of the aforementioned "Monsters, Inc." will love this story as well. A sweet tale with a lovely moral. I just can't recommend it enough.
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by Mercer Mayer
by Mercer Mayer
by Mercer Mayer
by Laura Leuck
by James Howe
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