Who's There?

April 11, 2011
After what has clearly been a long and glorious day of meadow hopping, the small bunny narrator of Schaefer and Morgan's latest collaboration (Kids Like Us; Dragon Dancing) literally leaps into his cozy, green bed without a fuss. And that's when an eerie, straight-out-of-a-ghost-story noise ("creak, creak, crinch") invades his dark bedroom and eventually morphs into the even more gothic "creak, creak, crinch, crinch, crinch, thwack-a-wack!" No matter how much the wide-eyed rabbit tries to convince himself and his lovey, Boo, that the noise is innocuous, he can't shake the idea that it could be a harbinger of any number of menaces, including a "Grimy Gooey Ghoulie with a snuffly droozly nose" (imagined as a bulldog with severe nasal drip and a tissue box strapped to its back). We've all been thereâboth in childhood beds and in countless other books. But the combination of Morgan's vibrant, mock horrific evocation of the nighttime heebie-jeebies and Schaefer's read-aloud-savvy text (packed with repetition, rhetorical questions, and onomatopoeia) makes a return visit worthwhile. Ages 2â5.

May 1, 2011

Schaefer and Morgan have again paired up (Kids Like Us, 2008, etc.), this time bringing readers an emotionally expressive and linguistically playful book about nighttime fears.

BunBun is an exuberant young rabbit who has no problem going to bed. But once he's there, he hears noises down the hallway. With Boo, his bear, he is initially able to brush aside his fears, but as the noises get closer, he dives under the covers. His overactive imagination envisions the nasty creatures that must be creeping toward him. It might be a "Crusty Dumply Ogre, / with gnarly curly toes," or it could be a "Grimy Gooey Ghoulie / with a snuffly droozly nose." BunBun's reactions mirror those of a small child—hiding under the covers, freezing in fear with heart beating madly. And the noise? Just his little brother come to check out the noises he heard. Courage restored, BunBun is able to act the part of protective big brother. Schaefer masterfully plays with language both in lines that often rhyme and in invented words that could feasibly have come straight from a young child's imagination. And Morgan's ink-and-gouache artwork perfectly captures this. Her portrayal of BunBun's imaginary monsters are just silly enough not to spark fears in readers.

Make room for this one—with its spot-on characterization, humorous details and wordplay, this stands out even among the crowd of similar books. (Picture book. 3-5)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 1, 2011

PreS-As night falls, BunBun goes back to his snug burrow and climbs into bed. "I am all tucked in when from down the hallway I hear, creak, creak, CRINCH," says the rabbit. Who's there? In the dark, with only Boo, his teddy bear, for comfort, his imagination gets the better of him. He pictures the sorts of things "that might come creeping along." Is it a "Crusty Dumply Ogre," a "Grimy Gooey Ghoulie," or a "Two-Headed Whiney Snoop"? Taking his cues from his teddy, BunBun sits quietly and waits. But when Boo falls off the bed, the action comes to a head and the bunny finds himself confronting the source of the noise. Ink and gouache illustrations create a rich setting replete with dark shadows, saturated color, and just enough dramatic detail. First-person narration is an unusual choice for this type of read-aloud, and it may throw off readers at first, but the book succeeds as a whole. The text and illustrations combine to make a tense, scary story lightened slightly by the humorous depictions of the imagined monsters and their preposterous names. A fun, spine-tingling read for children who aren't easily frightened.-Suzanne Myers Harold, Multnomah County Library System, Portland, OR

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2011
Preschool-G For little BunBun, going to bed isnt a problemafter all, he and his rabbit family live in the coziest little warren beneath a lovely Pooh-style tree. Its that once he is snuggled in with his teddy bear, Boo, the anxiety begins: Creak, creak, crinch, crinch, crinch, thwack-a-wack! An ominous noise is coming from the hallway, and each time it gets closer and louder. The nonsense words Schaefer creates to communicate the noises are only part of the fun. Between each set of sounds, BunBun imagines the various monsters who might be approaching. It could be a Crusty Dumply Ogre (a pig in sandals) or a Grimy Gooey Ghoulie (a dog with a runny nose) or even a Splitch-kah-doo-mee Grabber (a rat with extendable mechanized arms). As rendered in Morgans ink-and-gouache artwork, none of these beasties are the least bit frightening, which makes this a solid everything-is-OK title to soothe panicked youngsters. The ultimate revelationthat its just his kid brother trailing a pull-toyreaffirms the comforting status quo.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)