There's Something in My Attic

A brave little girl with a lasso prepares to confront a scary nightmare in the attic

PreSchool-Grade 2 Mayer's third book about nightmares features a feisty girl in blonde pigtails, nightgown, cowboy hat, and boots. When Mom and Dad don't believe that there's a nightmare in the attic, she decides to lasso it and bring it downstairs to show them. The fat friendly dragon-like monster appears with the girl's teddy bear and won't give it back. She pulls it down with the lasso to her parent's room, but it slips away, and she vows to retrieve her bear tomorrow. The predominately blue watercolors with black pen are not as refined as those in Mayer's There's a Nightmare in My Closet (Dial, 1968). The outline and cross-hatching are thicker and resemble the illustrations in Mayer's There's an Alligator Under My Bed (Dial, 1987). The format remains large with creative use of white space and frames. The nightmare is a cream puff of a creature with child-like facial expressions. The story is satisfying, humorous, possibly bibliotherapeutic, and significantly different from previous titles to justify making room on the shelf for this nightmare as well. Jean Gaffney, Dayton and Montgomery County Pub . Lib . , Ohio
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.