A Not Scary Story About Big Scary Things

A boy lives near a regular, ordinary, standard kind of forest, except that along with the usual perils of cliffs, bears, snakes, and wolves, there is also an actual, awful monster with a habit for scaring children. That is what people said, anyway. But the boy isn't believing it and his belief proves to be a powerful defense when he finds himself standing toe to toe with the monster, who seems to live up to its horrible tale. I'm sorry, the boy says politely, but I can't believe in something that's not real. Confused by this precocious rationality, the monster slowly shrinks, until it becomes nothing more than a fluffy little kitty, suitable for adopting. It is hard to think of two artists better suited to one another. Sharing a surreal sense of logic and elegance, Williams and Swiatkowska convey a mood that is both dreamy and reassuringly matter of fact. Swiatkowska is in particularly fine form, with wry drawings that range from florid to schematic and clever collages that underscore the silliness of conventional wisdom. Ages 3–7.

A Not Scary Story About Big Scary Things