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Rating: 
Summary: My child was never afraid of going to bed before this book.
Review: If your child isn't already afraid of monsters, DO NOT read this book. I had a perfectly ordinary 3 year old. Then we bought this book. Now he is scared to death of going to bed at night, afraid of monsters. Once the sun goes down and it gets dark outside, the panic begins. Again, he exhibited none of this behavior before reading this book. All of the characters in this book believe in and are afraid of monsters under the bed, goblins in the closet, etc. Even the Ferocious Beast is afraid of a mouse. What this book teaches children is to be afraid... a lesson I'd never want to teach my child. Now it's too late.
Rating: 
Summary: funny story about friendship, fear and imagination
Review: Maggie is a resourceful little girl who plays in Nowhere Land with her friends Hamilton Hocks and the Ferocious Beast. Written and drawn by mother and son team Betty and Michael Paraskevas, this trio is quite charming. The friendship between Beast and Hamilton is sometimes on shaky ground, but Maggie unites them all with her affectionate diplomacy and problem solving skills. In this story, the Beast is embarrassed to tell his friends his secret .... he is afraid of something. Maggie and Hamilton run down a list of things that scare them -- ghosts, goblins, aliens, sea monsters, etc. -- and each time they must admit that they have never actually seen one of these creatures. Finally the Beast reveals that he is afraid of mice, which amuses his two companions until he retorts, "At least I've seen one. And there's one next to you right now." In the next frame, Hamilton and Maggie are screeching and running around as the friendly little mouse scampers off, and this always gets our toddler laughing. While I've had the same experience as another reviewer, of having my child frightened by a book or show meant to ward off fear, we did not have that experience with this book. It is funny and enjoyable. The author uses a vocabulary surprisingly and pleasantly varied for this age-group. The end pages feature a map of Nowhere Land and the storybook illustrations are bright and colorful. This is a fun read for preschoolers and young children (and their caregivers).
Rating:
Summary: Telling children a good story is hard, made easy by few.
Review: What I like best about the book is that it centers on helping children get over fears by showing them that it's only in their minds, and they can choose to alter the feeling into, surprisingly, nothing. It takes a special writer and illustrator to be to do that on a child's level. What I love about children's books is that they are simple, yet very profound--less is more, and Betty and Mickeys' book is a fine example of that.
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