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French author/illustrator Corentin suggests that the definition of ""monster"" is all relative, and that monsters may be as afraid of us as we are of them. This volume, which is rather bland despite its theme of surprise, finds a human boy dropping off to sleep only to realize that an emerald-green, froglike creature occupies the pillow next to his. Boy and monster each shriek ""Papa!""--only, to the human's chagrin, the reptilian child's mother is first on the scene. She leads her youngster into a well-lit room full of warty, horned, animal-headed beasts, and offers comfort before taking him back to bed: ""There's no such thing as monsters."" The process is repeated word for word when the boy's father enters the room from an opposite doorway. By placing both ""monsters"" in (rather than one underneath) the bed, Corentin implies equality. However, the green child, with its shocked facial expressions and meek mannerisms, conveys a more distinct personality than its wide-eyed, stiff alter-ego. Corentin frames his illustrations in neat rectangles and precisely tints his gray outlines with soft watercolor hues, yet his technical prowess doesn't make up for a lack of warmth; the story fails to come alive or to give reassurance. For a witty and empathetic execution of a very similar premise, see Jackie French Koller and Betsy Lewin's No Such Thing. Ages 2-6.

小朋友上床准备睡觉，突然发现床上有妖怪，喊爸爸。过来的却是妖怪的爸爸。“我床上有妖怪！”妖怪宝宝说，妖怪爸爸把宝宝带到他妈妈那儿去，妈妈哄儿子睡觉。可是，妖怪宝宝还觉得不对头，又喊爸爸。这次小朋友的爸爸过来，跟上次一样把儿子带到妈妈那儿，由妈妈哄他睡觉……活跃在法国时装画报的作者用简介的语言和诙谐的画面，以人类的眼光和妖怪的眼光重复讲述着几乎一摸一样的“就寝仪式”。这部有趣的故事还包含着“换个角度思考，换个眼光来看”这一深刻的哲理思维。对妖怪来说，小朋友才是妖怪。发现这点，小读者可能只觉得好玩，但这种快乐的阅读会起到潜移默化的作用。介绍到欧美和亚洲10个国家和地区受到热烈欢迎的法国经典绘本。