Lights-Out, Leonard

This import by singer-songwriter Pyke relays the lighthearted bedtime saga of Leonard, a white child in a fox pajama suit. His fear of dark-dwelling monsters leads to nightly resistance when his parents utter the titular phrase. Geometric digital illustrations by Nixon emphasize Leonard’s perspective as he spots many-limbed creatures and worriedly peers under furniture. But when the lights stay on in Leonard’s room for a full week, he discovers a “quite mysterious” book in his room called How to Frighten Monsters, with five tips that might just hold the key to beast banishment. The art suggests crayon scrawls and doodles, supplemented by various patterns in peaches, yellows, and blues. Though the book ends abruptly, it may just inspire monster-fearing children—and their exhausted adults—to employ similar strategies. Ages 3–up. [em](Sept.) [/em]