Mykal and the Monsters

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Five-year-old Mykal has monsters under her bed. She tries telling her
parents, but they do not believe her. “Don’t be silly, Mykal, there
are no such things as monsters,” her mother insists. Her father
pretends to chase away the monsters, but Mykal can tell he is just
trying to get her to go to sleep. One day her grandmother comes to
visit. To Mykal’s relief, Nanny not only believes in monsters but also
knows a thing or two about them. “No need to be frightened. Every
little girl has monsters under her bed. But they are friendly
monsters,” Nanny tells Mykal. The grandmother explains that the
monsters are there to watch over her while she sleeps: one keeps the
blankets pulled up so that Mykal never gets too cold; another brushes
the hair out of her face so that she doesn’t wake up; still another
cuddles Mykal when she is having a nightmare. Now that she knows the
monsters are friendly, Mykal is no longer afraid to go to bed.

Monsters who serve and protect? The author of this delightful story is
Constable Gil Dares, Community Policing Coordinator for Yarmouth, Nova
Scotia. Dare writes in a straightforward style that does not quite
dazzle, but it gets the job done. James Colbeck’s black-and-white
illustrations are equally competent. The result is a decent little book
well worth its $5 cost. Recommended.