Beasts in the Closet is superb! Any children's book that can
make you laugh and send a chill down to your bones at the same time
goes right to the top of my list. For years, Jeff Snow has worked his
magic with children on the big screen. It's apparent that he'll continue
to do so on the printed page. --Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO, DreamWorks
Animation, Inc.
Walt Disney Animation and Dreamworks SKG feature
film artist Jeff Snow presents Beasts in the Closet, a rhyming picture
book about strange noises in the night that chill a five-year-old boy's
heart. He imagines all sorts of hideous creatures with hungry and terrible
plans, and tries desperately to convince his mother that the monsters
in his closet and under his bed are real. But when morning comes and
he is unharmed, he begins to question his own fears about mysterious
beasts -- could it be that what oppresses him worst is fear itself?
Or could it be that the monsters are tame and have an unfair reputation
just because they make a little noise? The unforgettable and colorful
art style perfectly matches a simple story about growing up and learning
to sleep alone at night.
--Children's Bookwatch, The Midwest Book Review,
March, 2006
Jeff Snow's wildly imaginative BEASTS provide
a feast for the eyes and ears of story tellers and their listeners.
Great fun!
--Will Finn, Director, Home on the
Range, Walt Disney Studios
Definitely a smile on every page...and it certainly
explains a lot about "George" --the monster who lived in MY
closet when I was a kid. Once we gave him a name and a reason for what
he did...he wasn't half so scary. And this book might help other kids
to the same conclusions -- with a big grin.
--Merry Cutler, bookseller, Sharon, MA
You and the folks at Snowbound will love the reactions
to "Beasts In The Closet" at a school last week. The body
language of those very active listeners shouted, "We love it!"
from the first page. Hundreds of small hands flew up in response to:
"How many of you like the story?" and "How many of you
think other kids will like it?"
In a crowded school library, that's an extraordinary response, especially
since the demographics were very diverse. Without looking around to
see what others were doing, they reacted instantly. As for shelf appeal,
older children who came in later were adamant that they wanted to hear
"Beast." Of course, they were way too cool to react so spontaneously,
but they clearly enjoyed it. The awestruck media specialist promptly
ordered it.
Thanks for helping me discover great books from small presses. I would
never have found this one by myself.
--Virginia Meldrum, The Owl's Tree Bookstore,
Powder Springs, GA
The comments on the book were amazing. Everyone
that I showed it to wanted to buy it for their class or library. It
is a subject that all kids at one time or another think about and fear...are
there monsters under the bed or hiding in the closet? This book confronts
the problem head on and explains at the end that they aren't bad monsters
at all... Kudos to Jeff Snow!!!.
--Judy Pekarthy, Borders bookseller, Stony
Brook, NY
