Bedtime Without Arthur by Jessica Meserve, reviewed by Squirt

I know, I seem to be doing all the reviews lately. There are just so many great picture books coming in! Lerner sent us a copy of this one, and it's just too cute not to share:



Publisher's description:

Bella has a bear named Arthur. Like other bears, he's soft and cuddly. Unlike other bears, Arthur knows karate and works tirelessly all night to protect Bella from monsters, dragons, slugs, and other things that lurk in the shadows. One night, Arthur goes missing. Her mother, her father, and her little brother search high and low, but he is nowhere to be found. Will Bella ever find him again? Or can she find a way to be brave all on her own?

I'll admit, I USED TO BE afraid of the things that go bump in the night - and let me tell you, there are lots of weird noises in a library after everyone has gone home for the evening! Fortunately, Yoda (who is not as grumpy as he pretends to be) made some monster spray for me, and that kept the creepy things at bay. I found out later it was just glitter and vegetable oil mixed in water - or maybe I knew that all along. At any rate, it worked pretty well!

Now, of course, I am big enough that I don't have to worry about those monsters - and by the end of this tale, Bella realizes she is, too. Adults will probably figure out pretty quickly where Arthur is, but those in the intended audience will find it a surprise, and hopefully be inspired to be a big kid like Bella. The pictures are great, making obvious use of light and dark that, again, is quite suitable for the age group. I especially like the change in the end page illustrations.