When the old mouse asks his three little mice what they'd like to do one day, they all agree that they'd like to climb the basement stairs to catch a glimpse of the scary monster they've always heard about who lives there. Suspense builds--for the mice and for the reader--as they make the long trek up the stairs, gradually losing confidence with every step but holding out to the very end. In the end, they never actually see the monster because the awful mewing sound the monster makes is enough to send them scurrying back down the steps to safety. Young children will enjoy the humorous reversal in the idea that it's what lives upstairs that's scary. The crayon-pencil illustrations playfully underscore the reversal by making the "safe" basement world look gloomy and creepy, just as a child would see it. (Age 3-6)

An old wise mouse warns his three young mice of the danger that lurks at the top of the cellar stairs, yet they insist on seeing it for themselves. Step by step, they climb up to the dark shadows. . . . Sam McBratney's suspenseful tale will have children shrieking and grinning by turns. Full color.