The Beasties

The strangeness of moving into a new house is given full vent when odd noises, shadows and weird creatures unnerve a little girl at bedtime. But happily these ‘beasties’, though slightly creepy, do bring stories. The concept of night-time visitors teaching a frightened child the art of storytelling is a pleasing one even if the bearers of the tales are a mixed bunch. There’s a ring of authenticity when characters in a fantasy world stay true to the world created and in mixing a realistic weevil with two fantasy animals, Nimmo has challenged her own reality.

The richly coloured illustrations play nicely with scale and viewpoint and there’s a dynamic balance of strong coloured areas with pattern. But while these energetic compositions make good use of the book’s large format, the thin lines of the girl’s features get lost and a more softened line might have made more of an impact.

Nevertheless, the combination of text and illustration has produced a book where the resolution is as satisfying as the concept.