Milo Mouse and the Scary Monster

This tale begins on the title page with Hellard’s cosy portrayal of Milo, a young mouse, curled up and fast asleep. But on waking, he is still terrified by a bad dream. A horrible, big scary monster with huge claws had chased him! Mum says warm milk at bedtime should ensure no more nightmares. Dad says it might help to talk about it. But it is not until Milo confronts his real fear, the unknown contents of the dark cupboard he passes on his way up to bed, that he is able to dispel the monster dream. There is a happy, reassuring resolution to the story, when we discover the real and friendly reason for his disturbed nights. The illustrations lend both scariness and reassurance in appropriate places. The colour palette for the nightmares is a brown wash, quite different from the rest of the book.