John Troy McQueen is an educator and a freelance writer. For several years he was the features editor for the
Fine Print Newspaper in Bennettsville, South Carolina. He has been an elementary, middle school, and high school teacher; primary and elementary school principal; attendance supervisor; and adult education director. He is the author of three books on Marlboro County heritage.
A World Full of Monsters is his first book for children. He and his wife, Dorothy, are the parents of four grown sons-all of whom, he reports, were once afraid of monsters.
PreSchool-Grade 2 A welcome addition to satisfy the never-ending demand for ``monster'' books. Seated on his grandmothers's lap, a little boy tells of monsters long ago when his great-great grandparents lived. In the Victorian era of bicycles, candles, and water pumps, monsters and people mixed and mingled, and shared a similar way of life. Brown's rendition of the Victorian era is accurate and provides visual insight and information about the times. Illustrations are detailed, boldly colored, and humorous. The little boy draws readers back to the present when he tells them that monsters are almost nonexistent today, except at nighttime when they wash the windows (``screech, screech''), repair the clock (``tick, tick''), sweep the floor (``scratch, scratch''), fix the faucet (``drip, drip''), and smile a friendly smile when you say, ``Hi, Monster!'' before going back to sleep. McQueen's approach to a child's fear of monsters is as funny as Mayer's You're the Scaredy Cat (Four Winds, 1974), but more subtle and sensitive. Author and illustrator explain away the noises of the night, reassuring children that these noises are not to be feared. A clever approach to a timeless topic. Janice Amicone, Downingtown Area School District, Uwchland, Pa.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.