The Wardrobe Monster

By Author / Illustrator

Bryony Thomson, Bryony Thomson

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

Publisher

Old Barn Books

ISBN

9781910646366

Format

Hardback

Published

05-04-2018

Synopsis

What's that knocking sound coming from the wardrobe? Every night, it makes Dora and her toy friends afraid to go to bed and every morning they are grumpy through lack of sleep. Eventually, they summon up the courage to face their fear together and open the wardrobe door...what falls out provides a humorous and reassuring story for all children who imagine monsters in the darkness. With a sympathetically drawn cast of characters, Bryony taps into a childhood fear and converts it into a tale of mutual support. Gently funny, 'The Wardrobe Monster' will be a great bedtime read.

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Reviews

All children have a fear of the dark, of monsters, of shadows at night. Thomson (Author) turns those fears into a wonderfully crafted story which will have your children laughing and all fears forgotten. The Wardrobe Monster is a story that focuses on the classic fear of the monster in the wardrobe. Dora is a little girl who is afraid to go to bed, she thinks up every excuse 'until Mum got cross then she had to go'. Dora is grumpy from the lack of sleep all caused by a loud 'BANG!' that persists throughout the night. Except this time, Lion (cuddly toy) tells her she has to be brave and face her fears. Eventually Dora approaches the wardrobe only to discover that what was in the wardrobe is actually a big, lovely cuddly green monster who was just as afraid of the noises outside of the wardrobe, as Dora was of the noises in the wardrobe. Dora has overcome her fears and in doing so has made a new friend. Uniquely illustrated, this story stands out as less conventional than other stories for young children and therefore makes it more intriguing to read. The illustrations are hand drawn and convey such intimacy in the emotions of the characters. Dora has a lovely relationship with her toys and each toy has different qualities that help Dora overcome her fears. From a parent's perspective, this tale is a wonderful find to assuage fears of those noises in the night. Thomson has added other qualities to her tale - the lion's bravery, the encouragement of her toys and the comfort her toys provide her when she is afraid. There are lovely moments of humour which help alleviate rising tension of the monster in the wardrobe and I couldn't help but smile at Dora's polite reference to the monster as 'Mr Wardrobe Monster'. For me the constant affection and intimacy between the characters which is reflected in the both the narrative and the beautiful illustrations, are what makes this book special. A charming tale that teaches children to be brave and overcome their fears; if they do, there might just be something exciting to discover. Picture book / Ages 3+ / Reviewed by Joanna Hewish, teacher.