This review was first published at The Well-Read Child. Stars: **** Watchers is based on a poem by Kelley 'Duckee' Magee. It's the story of a little boy who is being watched while he sleeps. He can see figures moving but he's not sure what they are. He thinks they must be monsters and he vows to catch them one night. He sets up a trap and waits and sure enough he catches something. What he caught isn't what he was expecting at all. They aren't monsters but fairies and they are there to help him, to watch over him while he sleeps.
This is a cute little story for believers in fairies. The writing is lyrical as it was originally a poem, and it rhymes:
The illustrations are sweet, with lots of purples and dark blues and bright eyes for the fairies. The shadows of unknown creatures on the wall are shown very well and it reminded me of when I was a child and saw scary shapes in the shadows.
My only reservation with the book is the depictions of what the boy thinks the "monster" might look like. I'm afraid that this talk of monsters would frighten a child. If your child hasn't experience the "monsters under the bed" phase, then don't read this book or it might plant the idea in his or her head. If your child is already in that phase, then this would be a good book to alleviate those fears.
This is a cute little story for believers in fairies. The writing is lyrical as it was originally a poem, and it rhymes:
"At night they surround me when I sleep.
So I plan to catch them where they creep.
I'm always falling asleep too fast,
But tonight I'll stay awake at last."
The illustrations are sweet, with lots of purples and dark blues and bright eyes for the fairies. The shadows of unknown creatures on the wall are shown very well and it reminded me of when I was a child and saw scary shapes in the shadows.
My only reservation with the book is the depictions of what the boy thinks the "monster" might look like. I'm afraid that this talk of monsters would frighten a child. If your child hasn't experience the "monsters under the bed" phase, then don't read this book or it might plant the idea in his or her head. If your child is already in that phase, then this would be a good book to alleviate those fears.
