Monster Trouble!

Winifred Schnitzel—a brown-skinned girl with big kewpie-doll eyes and two fuzzy pigtails—has a monster problem. They visit her bedroom every night, and although Winifred thinks they are adorable (and in the Mary Blair meets Monsters, Inc. world of Robinson’s artwork, it’s easy to see why), but her sleep cycles are suffering. Winifred sets a variety of traps to deter the monsters, but she inadvertently discovers that a sleep-deprived kiss works better than sticky nets or spike-covered chairs. Fredrickson’s rhymes bounce along at a rollicking pace (“Winifred knew that despite their uniqueness,/ she’d discovered that monsters have one silly weakness”), and there are plenty of giggles to be had in watching a sleepy Winifred send the monsters scattering as she tries to bestow gentle kisses on them. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agency: Lindgren & Smith. (Sept.)