Bedtime Without Arthur

February 15, 2010
Bella can't imagine sleeping without her stuffed bear, Arthur. A black belt in karate, Arthur “guards the bed and keeps away monsters that come sneaking from the shadows,” so Bella can safely dream “of her favorite things, like rainbows and rainforests.” Then Arthur goes missing—and in uncovering the culprit, Bella also discovers something new about herself. Meserve (Can Anybody Hear Me?
) is an overly literal writer; it's as if she underestimates her effectiveness as a visual storyteller. Which she shouldn't, because—as befits a book about nightmares, sweet dreams, and strong attachments—her pictures are florid, dramatic, and often skewed in perspective. When Arthur disappears, Bella's cast-iron bed takes on an almost prisonlike quality, as “fire-breathing dragons, slugs and grizzly bears” threaten (even the small stuffed elephant in the corner of her bedroom has a menacing glint in its eye). Meserve's artwork propels the story forward, skillfully mixing drama and comedy, and makes a persuasive case for being an empathetic and decidedly grown-up older sibling. Ages 4–9.

February 1, 2010
PreS-KArthur is always by Bella's side. He eats breakfast with her and even likes pizza, but his primary job is karate-kicking monsters in bad dreams. Then the unthinkable happens: the teddy bear disappears, causing the monsters to reappear. When Bella discovers that the teddy-thief is her little brother, and that he needs Arthur more, she must make some hard choices about facing those nightmares without her bear by her side. It's time to learn to sleep on her own. Bella's willingness to embrace this change rings a bit false, and the overall story feels a bit too much like a prescription for how a child should adjust to growing up. However, Meserve's vivid, dreamlike cartoons function less as a backdrop to the words and more as the primary story. The dragons of Bella's dreams curl around her bed and carry through into the next morning as drawings on her bedroom wall, for example. While the book is a little on the saccharine side and a bit obvious in its message, its vibrant illustrations, gentle story, and direct lesson make it a potential read-aloud for parents looking to wean their child from bedtime crutches."Sarah Townsend, Norfolk Public Library, VA"

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