The Mystery of the Midnight Crunch

The Mystery of the Midnight Crunch by Simon Mitchell, illustrated by James Davis (The Five Mile Press)

HB RRP $19.95

ISBN 978-1-74346-725-1

Reviewed by Jacque Duffy

What is better than a mystery about a monster? Mitchell’s story combined with Davis’s illustrations is delightful and will engage the young reader’s imagination. On first impressions this book invites you to pick it up and have a read. I was not disappointed when I did. It is not only beautifully illustrated but it is beautifully written. Even the cover is a pleasure to touch with spot laminations making it pleasantly tactile. A book to be read by the independent reader or to share with a child snuggled on your lap as you search the illustrations for clues.

It is the story of Sniffy the Mouse Detective: he is ready for hire and no job is too big or too small. Mrs Hopper, his new client, is convinced she saw a monster in her kitchen. Sniffy doesn’t believe in monsters. But determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, Sniffy and his friend Cooper work hard with humorous results.

The author Simon Mitchell writes a great fast-paced story. His first picture book Louie the Pirate Chef won a place in the International Youth Library’s prestigious White Ravens Catalogue, he also has received critical acclaim for one of his junior novels.

James Davis, the illustrator, is an award-winning artist. His illustrations are striking; he uses simplified shapes but shows strength of colour and depth giving a wonderful sense of ‘other’ to the story. I must confess that thanks to the illustrations of the endpapers, I heard Humphrey Bogart’s voice as I read.

 

Overall I believe with each of the positive elements rolled into one hard cover this story shared by parent and child will make this book a favorite.

Jacque Duffy is the author and illustrator of the series ‘That’s not a …” learn to read books used in all Queensland State Primary Schools, two picture books and one local history book.

www.jacquesartandbooks.com

Monster

Monster by Andrew Daddo, illustrated by Bruce Whatley (ABC Books)

HB RRP $24.99
ISBN 9780733322754
Reviewed by Tracey Slater

A little boy cannot go to sleep because of the monster in his bedroom. He calls out to his parents repeatedly and they answer with unsympathetic wisecracks and sarcasm. When the parents eventually order the boy into his bunk bed, both he and the monster drift off to sleep together.

Andrew Daddo has given us an unusual take on the ‘monster story’. The tone is humorous including some very light gross out humour, which is unlikely to offend the preschoolers out there.

Bruce Whatley has made the monster a sweet, timid, gummy creature with an under bite - not exactly a threat to children. The illustrations greatly enhance the text, adding a touch of ambiguity to the tale. The boy and the monster mirror each other throughout, so that in the end one is a little unsure whether the boy is actually the monster, or whether the boy is imagining that his sibling is a monster or whether the little boy is with a real monster- it’s somewhat open to interpretation.

There is a question of whether a preschool or early schoolchild would be comfortable with the ambiguous content, or whether they would ‘get’ the parental sarcasm. These aspects seem to tip the story towards a slightly older readership than probably intended. Overall, Monster is a sweet tale, setting out to prove that not all monsters are scary.