The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Greene, Rhonda Gowler

Eek! Creak! Snicker, Sneak

32 pp. | Atheneum | March, 2002 | Trade ISBN 0-689-83047-5 $$16.00

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jos. A. Smith. Any child whose parents have explained away noises in the night will enjoy this rhyming tale that reveals (finally) the causes: "The grown-ups blame the wind, a cat. / The children know it's more than that." The nighttime-hued illustrations show two small monsters shaking the house, scratching windows, and howling until the children finally turn the tables. This is probably better as a story-hour read-aloud than as a bedtime tale.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman