Scary Fright, Are You All Right?

Scary Fright, Are You All Right?

From School Library JournalreSchool-Grade 2-Meet Scary Fright, her parents, and little brother, Boo. The youngster has always been a perfectly bad monster, but she is changing, and her folks are becoming worried. She suddenly likes kittens (but not, as her mother suggests, for dessert), says "please" and "thank you," and enjoys drawing butterflies and rainbows on her wall. Her appalled parents take her to Doctor Ghastly, who diagnoses "Human-i-tis," which Scary caught while playing with human children. Can she be cured? Young readers will get a kick out of this tale of a girl who gets sent to her room for being good and is told, "Don't stomp out until you can behave like a monster." Pencil-and-watercolor illustrations detail the Fright family's life and home: a framed picture of skeletons, a plant with eyes and lips, bone drawer handles. Just enough gross-out humor will keep children entertained: there's pizza made of slimy moss, fleas, and beetles; a mother whose eyes actually pop out when she's surprised; and a crib headboard made from a tombstone. Four brief chapters and large type make this book accessible to young readers. A good choice for children who want to read about monsters but don't really want to be frightened.Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WICopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.When monster-girl Scary Fright brings home an adorable kitten and begins using proper manners, Mama and Papa Fright fear that Scary has been afflicted by "human-i-tis" and rush her to Dr. Ghastly for the cure to this dreadful disease!From Publishers WeeklyIn a 7" x 9" chapter book format, first-timer Gibala-Broxholm presents a monster family with an interesting problem. Their young daughter, Scary Fright, starts acting strangely one Friday the 13th: she craves pizza rather than slime, and sings "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" instead of howling at the moon. Her behavior shocks her parents ("Good goblins! What's next?"), who bring her straight to Doctor Ghastly. The examination reveals that Scary has "Human-i-tis," contracted from contact with a human playmate. A little monstrous medicine fixes everything. Well, almost Scary still wants to go home and play with her pet kitten. The gags here make the Munsters-ish story work. Mama's eyes pop out (literally) when she hears about the pet kitten ("Well, you can have it for dessert," she says at first, "But only if you've eaten all your slime"). Doctor Ghastly looks Scary over "from head to tail," and listens "to both her hearts beat." Gibala-Broxholm's inventive watercolor spot art, framed panels and full-bleed paintings brim with monstrous touches. Toy coffins and tombstone-shaped telephones litter the monster family's home and a skeleton version of Grant Wood's American Gothic hangs on a wall. Kids will love the backwards monster-think ("Sweet nightmares," Papa says at bedtime) and the new twist on the theme of unconditional love ("No matter what you do," Mama tells Scary, kissing her at bedtime, "we still think you are a terrible monster"). 4-8.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.