No such thing - Softcover

Jackie French Koller

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0439317908 ISBN 13: 9780439317900

Publisher: Scholastic, 2001

Synopsis

There is no such thing as a monster, and certainly no such thing as a monster under the bed. That's what Howard's mother tells him. There is no such thing as a boy, and certainly no such thing as a boy on top of a bed. That's what Monster's mother tells him. But no matter what their mothers say, Howard and Monster remain afraid of the dark. Then one spooky night Howard and Monster come face-to-face with each other. Jackie French Koller and Betsy Lewin have created a "monster-under-the-bed" story that offers the perfect cure for fear of the dark.

About this title

About the Author

Jackie French Koller is the author of more than a dozen books for children, including the Mole & Shrew picture books. She lives in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Betsy Lewin has illustrated many books for children, including A Thousand Cousins by David L. Harrison, and Booby Hatch, a 1995 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, which she wrote. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

From Publishers Weekly

Monsters, according to popular opinion, live under beds. Koller (the Mole and Shrew books), rather than deny these beasts' existence, questions their frightful intentions. In this mildly suspenseful tale, a boy named Howard tells his mother, "I heard [a monster] snurkling under my bed." Meanwhile, a young monster informs his mother that he hears a boy "sneezing on top of my bed." Left alone by their disbelieving parents, human and monster peek at each other and shriek in fear; only when their terror turns to tears do they dare a second, curious look. On the closing page, they trade places for a practical joke that's left to the reader's imagination: " 'Oh, Mommy,' they both called together. 'Mommy, come quick!' " Lewin (Somebody Catch My Homework) draws in loose, Quentin Blake-style gestures of pen and ink, and fills the negative space with watercolor washes of dusky blue and brown. She envisions Monster (who reads a scary comic titled Boy) as a warty green gargoyle with clawed toes, a boar's snout and tusks. Koller invents a monster vocabulary: Monster "whimples" when Howard whimpers, and "sniggles" when his friend giggles. The plot is predictable and even a bit shopworn, yet the energetic telling and agreeable illustrations could put some fears temporarily to rest. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0439317908
• ISBN 13: 9780439317900
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32