J.R. Sansevere

In addition to the Little Critter series, Mayer also illustrated the Critters of the Night series, which was written by Erica Farber but featured characters based on Mayer's earlier series. Essentially, it took his semi-animal-but-not-quite-sure-what-kind creations from the Little Critter series and cast them in monster roles such as vampires, mummies, and werewolves. A streak of black humor runs through me, and I am drawn to odd juxtapositions; for instance, cute little characters that are show more in traditionally scary roles. In other words, these books cutesify (yes, I did just make that word up) the things that go bump in the night. I love it.

This story features the little boy critter, Axel, and Groad, who is the butler, the mad scientist? I really don't know. Regardless, they are off to Egypt to help their cousin, Mummy Moose. After daring airplane crashes, angry sheiks, and Egyptian tombs, they find Mummy Moose, only to discover that his danger is not what they expected. A simple adventure that will appeal to kids, and adults who are still kids on the inside, and the characters and the Egypt setting only add to the allure. Another bonus is that the text is simple and the illustrations are funny and colorful, so these books are a good match for toddlers like my daughter. Although I really bought this one for myself, my girls and I can enjoy it together. show less

Would I own this book if it weren't part of the Critters of the Night series? Unlikely. The story isn't bad, but there are so many excellent picture books on the market. I love Mercer Mayer's books, though, and am a hug fan of the Little Critter series; I also like the joining of his little critter illustrations with a family of lovable monsters and spooks, which is the world of Critters of the Night. The premise is great, the execution only follows through sometimes. This story is one of show more the average ones, with a tale about the little boy of the family, Axel Howl, off on a quest to help save dragon babies. The story is adventurous, and has a good dose of goofiness, but is missing in the subtlety and adult appeal that I associate with Mayer works. Not surprising, actually, since this story is not written or illustrated by him, but simply based on his characters. I have to give this book a slightly higher rating because it has dragons, and I like dragons. More importantly, my daughter also has a new fascination with them, and she likes reading this book. It's a good book, made better by association with other books and my daughter's obvious delight with it. show less

I love the Critters of the Night series. This is an animistic version of the Addam's Family. Very cute.

Genre: Early Chapter Book

Media: Acrylic

Summary: I could use this book to get girls and boys alike reading for fun. I could also use this book to have in my classroom library. This book was a good example of an early chapter book because it is captivating for being such a short story. This book is a good example of a fantasy as well due to the fictional critters that are part of the book. The book talks about Jack Howl teaching his son Axel how to howl and Wanda tries to show Thistle how to show more fly but the kids have other plans in mind. show less