Who hasn’t known a child who didn’t see or hear monsters in their bedroom at night? I can remember when my daughter was very young, she saw the characters from the mural on her wall reaching out menacingly to touch her. She was so anxious; I ended up having to paint over the entire work of art to assuage her fears. In later years, I’ve heard of parents using monster spray to remove monsters from their children’s rooms before bedtime. I’m sure many others have resorted to quite a few resourceful ways to do so.
That’s why I love this little book. A very imaginative child, Kevin sees things when alone that others can’t. His closet monster is a very scary red and black snaky thing that snaps its jaws and growls ominously and even yells, “Booooooo!!!!!”. Kevin must remain alert or Yamboo might eat him.
As presented in the story, we see that in the end it is usually up to the child to use their own creativity in a positive way (in this case via Cornelius, a Fairy Guard) to overcome the fears they have of their own Yamboo, closet monster creations.
Parents who read this book to their fearful children who can’t sleep because they’re afraid of monsters, will help soothe them into realizing that monsters can be defeated. This story gives parents and children a perfect opportunity to conquer fear of the dark or of the unknown or of being alone. It shows that imagination can be the best weapon for overcoming fear of any kind.
Read all of Sybrina’s Children Picture Book Reviews here.