There's a Monster under My Bed
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Reprint Edition, 1990
Format: Picture Book
Interest Level: K-3
Simon the main character in There's a Monster under My Bed climbs into bed without checking underneath for monsters. This sets the stage for uncertainty to convince Simon that he hears a monster breathing. Doubt about the monster is quickly dispelled when Simon feels the mattress jump. Fear now enters the boy’s room and expands to fill the space. Having conjured the first monster under his bed, Simon's imagination quickly
bed, Simon’s imagination quickly escalates to “two hairy monsters,” then “three slimy monsters sharpening their claws,” then “four fat monsters making a fire to fry (him) up” to more and more monsters until his bed is surrounded by monsters ready to “munch (him) for a midnight snack.”
In the end he discovers the monster that made his bed jump was nothing more than his younger brother Alex who was afraid of some monsters under his bed. In this moment, Simon masters his fear sufficiently to become his brother’s comforter and protector.
This story helps children begin to consider that while imagination is usually a wonderful thing, when they're worried, imagination can fuel uncertainty and fan a small nagging worry into a can’t-go-to-sleep fear.