I Am Scary

Gravel's (What Is a Refugee?) beguiling, economical style is in top form in this board book. A big turquoise monster with an angry red mouth and two striped horns encounters a kid and dog in a forest. "Look at me!" the monster says, jumping out from behind a tree, "I am very SCARY!" While the dog strikes a range of attitudes, from snarling and protective to let's-get-out-of-here, the kid is fazed not one bit. In fact, no matter how much the monster rails ("Listen to this: Grrrrrrrrrrr!"), the child stands firm, until the monster finally breaks down in tears over being unable to frighten. "I think you're cute," says the kid--and in truth, the monster really is quite adorable. The child follows up the compliment with the offer of a hug, the dog joins in, and on the final page, it's clear the monster's heart has melted. The petite format, hand-lettered text, and spare, single-plane black line drawings, punctuated with saturated spot color, make this book feel like a comedy skit lovingly performed for an intimate audience. Ages up to 3. Agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (Mar.)