4,833
edits
Changes
From TheBookbag
Jump to navigationJump to searchBella and Monty: A Hairy, Scary Night by Alex T Smith (view source)
Revision as of 10:55, 9 August 2009
, 10:55, 9 August 2009no edit summary
{{infobox
|title=Bella and Monty: A Hairy, Scary Night
|author=Alex T Smith
|reviewer=Keith Dudhnath
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Monty may be the biggest scaredy-cat this side of [[Hairy Maclary by Lynley Dodd|Hairy Maclary and chums]], but he's got brave Bella to help him through his fears. ''A Hairy, Scary Night'' is a great read for anyone trying to overcome fears of their own.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|format=Hardback
|pages=32
|publisher=Hodder Children's Books
|date=June 2009
|isbn=978-0340959831
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340959835</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0340959835</amazonus>
}}
Bella and Monty are best friends. They love doing everything together. Unfortunately, Monty is petrified of absolutely everything, but thankfully Bella is as brave as brave can be and will help her friend overcome his fears.
Being frightened is a common theme in picture books, but ''A Hairy, Scary Night'' has a fresh style that adds an extra layer of charm. Bella weaves a number of funny stories about what the scary things really are, and these draw the reader in with their quirkiness. Alex T Smith's illustrations accentuate this quirkiness and make every page a delight to pore over.
As fun as it is in its own right, ''A Hairy, Scary Night'' also works wonderfully for children who are dealing with their own fears. Monty's long list of fears will be a mix of things that make perfect sense to be scared of, like monsters, spiders and gloves, but also things that they have no reason to be scared of, like scrambled eggs. It's a perfect opportunity to discuss what things scare different people (hopefully not seeding any new fears) and to make up fun stories to explain anything that scares them.
''A Hairy, Scary Night'' reminded me of a recent favourite: [[Jumpy Jack and Googily by Meg Rosoff and Sophie Blackall]]. Both feature one brave character and one scaredy cat, both have a delightful twist in the tail, and both are great fun. Despite their similarities, they're not too samey and will sit happily on any bookshelf together. Both are heartily recommended.
My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.
Other than ''Jumpy Jack'', the best choice for further reading is [[One More Hug For Nutmeg by Caroline Jayne Church]]. There are lessons to be learnt from it, but it's still a strong story in its own right. [[Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman]] is also worth a look if you're dealing with any fears.
{{toptentext|list=Top Ten Picture Books For Overcoming Bedtime Woes}}
{{amazontext|amazon=0340959835}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=6428336}}
{{commenthead}}
|title=Bella and Monty: A Hairy, Scary Night
|author=Alex T Smith
|reviewer=Keith Dudhnath
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Monty may be the biggest scaredy-cat this side of [[Hairy Maclary by Lynley Dodd|Hairy Maclary and chums]], but he's got brave Bella to help him through his fears. ''A Hairy, Scary Night'' is a great read for anyone trying to overcome fears of their own.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|format=Hardback
|pages=32
|publisher=Hodder Children's Books
|date=June 2009
|isbn=978-0340959831
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340959835</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0340959835</amazonus>
}}
Bella and Monty are best friends. They love doing everything together. Unfortunately, Monty is petrified of absolutely everything, but thankfully Bella is as brave as brave can be and will help her friend overcome his fears.
Being frightened is a common theme in picture books, but ''A Hairy, Scary Night'' has a fresh style that adds an extra layer of charm. Bella weaves a number of funny stories about what the scary things really are, and these draw the reader in with their quirkiness. Alex T Smith's illustrations accentuate this quirkiness and make every page a delight to pore over.
As fun as it is in its own right, ''A Hairy, Scary Night'' also works wonderfully for children who are dealing with their own fears. Monty's long list of fears will be a mix of things that make perfect sense to be scared of, like monsters, spiders and gloves, but also things that they have no reason to be scared of, like scrambled eggs. It's a perfect opportunity to discuss what things scare different people (hopefully not seeding any new fears) and to make up fun stories to explain anything that scares them.
''A Hairy, Scary Night'' reminded me of a recent favourite: [[Jumpy Jack and Googily by Meg Rosoff and Sophie Blackall]]. Both feature one brave character and one scaredy cat, both have a delightful twist in the tail, and both are great fun. Despite their similarities, they're not too samey and will sit happily on any bookshelf together. Both are heartily recommended.
My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.
Other than ''Jumpy Jack'', the best choice for further reading is [[One More Hug For Nutmeg by Caroline Jayne Church]]. There are lessons to be learnt from it, but it's still a strong story in its own right. [[Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman]] is also worth a look if you're dealing with any fears.
{{toptentext|list=Top Ten Picture Books For Overcoming Bedtime Woes}}
{{amazontext|amazon=0340959835}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=6428336}}
{{commenthead}}
