Shadows

A young boy's nighttime world of mysterious shadows disappears when he decides to be brave and confront the dark.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2 A small boy wakes at night, sure that a fierce creature lurks in the shadows of his room. He makes a shad ow rabbit of his own, but it bounds away and, in its place, a fearsome shape appears. Fleeing from it, the boy makes his stand at the door: ``If I run . . .it will always chase me. . . . But this is my room and I won't run from anything!'' Having faced down his fears, Benjamin's room regains its fa miliar contours , and he falls asleep in the ``friendly darkness.'' Dramatic col or pencil illustrations occupy each dou ble - page spread. Sharply angled, atten uated perspectives suggest the illusory nature of Benjamin's beast. In the final illustration, the shadows have lost their menace , and the cheery colors of Ben jamin's quilt warms the scene. Night's magic persists, however; little houses now appear across the landscape of the quilt. Whether children will grasp Ben jamin's sound response to fear or focus instead on the shadowy beast is open to question; no firm assurance is given that Benjamin's nighttime confronta tion is not real. This book may agitate, not calm, children's fears. Janet D. French, Centennial School District Li braries, Warminster, Pa.Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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