Nathaniel Willy, Scared Silly - Softcover

Mathews, Judith

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0689829558 ISBN 13: 9780689829550

Publisher: Aladdin, 1999

Synopsis

Nathaniel Willy is scared silly by a squeak in his door, so Gramma must put the farm animals in bed with him for company

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

Nathaniel Willy is silly to be scared by a creaking door, but Gramma's sillier yet: each time she closes the door with a ``terrible squeak'' after kissing him good-night, he calls her back without saying why he's so frightened; and she tries to comfort him by bringing him yet another animal--cat, dog, pig, cow--until the bed breaks under the load. It takes the wise woman down the road to discover Nathaniel Willy's real fear (``...there's a ghost in the door!'') and oil the hinges. The pure silliness of this cumulative tale and its bouncing repetitions will enthrall preschoolers from the first squeak to Gramma's last kiss and the final, quiet closing of the door. Natchev, Bulgarian-born illustrator of Becky Ayres's Matreshka (1992), adds wonderfully to the humor with wide-eyed caricatures viewed from energetically skewed perspectives in a rustic old- world setting. A fine choice for a bedtime group. No source given. (Folklore/Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Booklist:

Ages 4-7. Retelling an American folktale about a boy who's spooked by the creak of his bedroom door, this picture book has all the humor and charm of a bedtime ritual that has gotten way out of hand. Gramma always tucks Nathaniel into bed and closes his door, but one very cold night, the door squeaks and the boy howls in fright. To comfort him, Gramma tucks the cat into his bed, but when she shuts the door, it squeaks again, and the boy howls and squeezes the cat, which goes "Scrowl!" With more goodwill than good sense, Gramma brings in other animals one by one until Nathaniel is cozying up to a cow. This cumulative tale builds to a climax when the bed breaks, but Gramma finds a solution that enables Nathaniel to settle down for the night. Colorful and expressive, the illustrations capture the innocence and humor of the tale. The story bounces along with rhythms and refrains that cry out to be read aloud. Carolyn Phelan

About this edition

• Publisher: Aladdin
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0689829558
• ISBN 13: 9780689829550
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Natchev Alexi