I'm not going out there

Author:  Paul Bright and Ben Cort

Overview

I'm underneath the bed, Hardly poking out my head. It's a squeeze and hurts my knees, But I don't care. Can you guess, do you know, Why I whisper soft and low? I'm not going out there! Watch out! Something out there is very scary, and it's coming this way.

Editorial Review

In this rhyming tale with a twist, a boy is hiding under his bed and refuses to come out. Each page introduces new and frightening creatures (witches, a ghost, monsters) and concludes with the refrain that this particular creature is not the reason that "I'm not going out there!" The verse seems forced at times. "There's a dragon breathing smoke,/Who looks far too fierce to stroke,/And his eyes have got a scary sort of stare./I hope he doesn't stay,/But he's not what makes me say-." Even the various creatures are frightened and join the narrator under the bed when confronted by a far scarier being-his sister, Kate, who is furious that he put a spider in her shoe. The bold and colorful illustrations are sure to entertain children, who will enjoy joining in on the refrain.