I Will Fight Monsters for You

January 12, 2015
Spanish writer Balmes’s heroine Martina has pigtails and striped pajamas, and she isn’t just scared of one monster under her bed—she imagines a whole upside-down world of monsters down there. “She was sure that if she left her arm hanging over the side of the bed, the monster would make a hole in the floor, grab her hand, and maybe pull her into the monster world where she would have to learn how to live upside down.” Her father comforts her (“I will fight monsters for you,” he promises gallantly), she sleeps, and in her dream—which takes place in the monster world—a monster named Anitram lies in her bed worrying about (what else?) humans under the bed. “Did you know that fear is elastic, like bubble gum?” Anitram’s father tells her. “As you grow braver, fear shrinks smaller and smaller until it disappears.” Lyona’s pink and blue monsters are even cuter than Martina, and the book’s sweetly conceived conclusion (not to mention the pair of warmhearted fathers, human and monster) will calm any nervous bed-goer. Ages 4–7. Agency: The K Literary and Film Agency.

January 15, 2015
A young girl learns to fight her nighttime fears by conquering a mirror world of monsters-and a little pink monster learns to do the same. Martina, ponytailed and blank-faced in striped pink-and-blue pajamas, worries every night that monsters just under the floor might drag her down into their world, "where she would have to learn to live upside down." After a pep talk from her father, Martina falls asleep and dreams of a little pink monster named Anitram who is just as scared of the human world as she is of the monsters'. Anitram's world is far from terrifying. The monsters are little horned fuzzballs with sharp but sparse teeth. Cleverly, text is placed upside down in the monster world, and scenes of Martina in bed are flipped to mirror Anitram in her bed. Blue and pink hues are reversed when the story moves from Martina's world to Anitram's. After Anitram is reassured by her own father, she falls asleep as well, leading to a beautiful moment when the two characters' hands meet through the imagined hole in the floor. Unfortunately, much of the story is presented as a dream of Martina's, which seems unnecessary; it would work just as well, and perhaps even more magically, without that extra layer of distance. Dream or no, Martina's monster story makes for lovely storytelling. (Picture book. 4-8)

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February 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Martina is scared of the monsters in the night. The sweet girl is convinced an upside-down city populated by monsters exists beneath her bedroom floor. Every night, she must make sure she remains completely under the safety of her blankets so she doesn't get pulled into the monster's world. When her father assures her, "I will fight MONSTERS for you," she manages to fall asleep. That night, Martina dreams of a furry, pink monster named Anitram, who lives a life that mirrors her own. Anitram is afraid of humans and her father promises to fight her fears for her. As they sleep, a hole magically opens between the two upside-down worlds. Martina and Anitram let their arms slip over the edge of the bed, and they join hands. With this act of friendship, the girl and the little monster overcome their fear of the unknown and discover how much they have in common. The gentle cartoon illustrations feature dark outlines and a soft blue and pink bedtime palette. Martina, in her striped pajamas and pigtails, is a darling character, and Anitram is cute and cuddly. VERDICT Pair this debut picture book with Josh Schneider's equally imaginative Bedtime Monsters (Clarion, 2013).-Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA

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