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Reviewed by Mansoor Ahmed for Readers' Favorite
Brave Howie and the Monster at Midnight by Clark Rich Burbidge is a charmingly illustrated picture book. Howie is a boy who dreads bedtime. Monsters, bears, and even a land-walking shark keep his imagination working overtime. His safety plan is simple: burrow deep under his quilt and hope for the best, with his big brother just next door as backup. Then one night, a series of terrifying sounds -- a growl, a howl, a roar, and a terrible bang from the direction of the bathroom -- convince him that the monster has finally arrived. His heart pounding, Howie calls for his dad, who appears at the bedroom door with a calm face and a very different explanation. What follows is one of the most delightful father-son conversations, as Dad works through a wonderful list of possible culprits before offering Howie the truth, and then something even better.
Clark Rich Burbidge writes with a light, confident hand, and the rhyming couplets roll along beautifully; children will want to read the book again and again. The plot is simple but perfectly constructed, building genuine tension before releasing it with warmth and humor. I found the middle section, where Dad suggests that the noise might have been a desert lizard hunting bats, or a sea eel upset about cold tea and moldy cookies, laugh-out-loud funny even for adult readers. Jared Salmond's illustrations are expressive and bold, and the father-son relationship at the heart of the story gives the book its real staying power. The theme that darkness is less frightening when someone you love is nearby is delivered gently. Brave Howie and the Monster at Midnight is a joyful, funny, and deeply reassuring bedtime book that earns its place on the shelf.
