Dark at the Top of the Stairs - Hardcover

Ages 3^-6. A wise old mouse tucks his three little mice into bed and asks what they would like to do the next day. They insist that they want to go to the dark at the top of the stairs to see the monster there. Although the old mouse suggests a visit to the cornfield or a swing on the grass seed-heads, the little mice will not be dissuaded. The next morning they begin their trek up the cellar stairs, but one look at the monster and the sound of one soft "MEOW" send them bumping, thumping, and sliding back home. From the cozy scenes of the mice safe in bed to their dramatic climb up the steep stairs to the climactic moment when they see the cat (shown here only in shadow), the dramatically shaded full-color illustrations show a great sense of atmosphere, perspective, and humor. As appealing as the artwork is the simple text, which begs to be read aloud. Just scary enough to please the story hour crowd. Carolyn Phelan

In this book, McBratney (Guess How Much I Love You, 1995, not reviewed, etc.) has crystallized every single detail into part of a winning formula. There is little story: Three mice--Cob, Hazel, and Berry-Berry--tell an older, wiser mouse that they would like to go see the monster at the top of the cellar stair. He is understanding and allows them to recover from their journey, during which they were terrified by the sight of the cat's shadow, without comment. The narrative is comic and catchy, with all the dialogue arranged with flawless symmetry. It is set against dramatic crayon pencil illustrations, in which everything is depicted from the perspective of the mice (a door looms like a skyscraper). In his first book, Bates chooses a palette of dark purples, browns, and ambers; the mice seem sculpted from the gloom of the cellar. (Picture book. 4-7) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.