The Monster and the Teddy Bear

Angela is disappointed when Aunt Jane sends her a teddy bear. She wanted a monster. However, when her parents go out for the evening leaving Angela with a babysitter, a monster arrives through Angela's window. The monster's monstrous deeds are fun at first, but when they become too much for Angela, Teddy comes to the rescue and throws the monster far enough away to make sure he will never come back. McKee is an exciting storyteller in words and pictures, whose subversion of the recognizable world connects more fully with his young readers than do the thoughtless adults in his stories. This book contains a number of motifs recognizable to those who are familiar with McKee's work - here are adults whose lives parallel rather than connect with those of their children, a disconcerting displacement of familiar household items, and the bright patchwork effect of Angela's bedspread, reminiscent of Elmer the Elephant.