Nathaniel Willy, Scared Silly (Paperback)

by Judith Mathews (Author), Alexi Natchev (Illustrator) "Gramma came shivering into the room..." (more)
Key Phrases: terrible squeak, old door, Nathaniel Willy

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.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689829558
• ISBN-13: 978-0689829550
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #452,208 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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" (St. Thomas, VI United States) - See all my reviews

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)

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!