Kevin Cornell

When George can't get to sleep because of the monster underneath his bed, his sister Anna tells the frightening creature to go to bed himself. Unfortunately, the monster under the bed is also having trouble getting to sleep, because of the monster underneath the floorboards. That monster, as it turns out, is frightened sleepless by the monster underneath his little room. And so it goes, as each monster approached turns out to be afraid of the monster lower than himself. When Anna, George and show more the various monsters finally reach the center of the earth, they think they've found the monster responsible - but have they...?

In this sweetly humorous take on the classic "monster under the bed" scenario, author/artist Kevin Cornell relies on one of the tried and true storytelling mechanisms for dealing with nighttime fears: which is to say, the idea that the monsters are also afraid. The innovation here is in having a chain of fear, with each monster fearing the next, and having a final monster whose fear - being alone - is one with which monster and child alike can identify. I enjoyed the story-line here, and found the colorful, almost animation-style artwork appealing. Children who enjoy haunted houses might likewise find the visuals here very engaging. Recommended to anyone looking for new stories dealing with that age-old problem of what is lurking under the bed (or in the dark) whilst one is trying to go to sleep. show less

Mark Twain once said "If I had been helping the Almighty when he created man, I would have had him begin at the other end, and start human beings with old age. How much better it would have been to start old and have all the bitterness and blindness of age in the beginning? One would not mind then if he were looking forward to a joyful youth. Think of the joyous prospect of growing younger instead of old! Think of looking forward to eighteen instead of eighty!"

Fitzgerald recognized a good show more storyline when he heard one.

This is not an exact facsimile of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', but rather an adaptation by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir to enable the story to work within the environment of a graphic novel. It does however follow very closely the original text. So, you could be fooled into thinking it is.

Kevin Cornell's illustrations are all done very well, in sepia tones. The only thing which unfortunately lets the book down is that every word is typed. The text just 'floats' over the illustrations or in speech bubbles, rather than feeling like part of the artwork - the way it would have done if someone had taken the time to hand render them.
In fact, the more I read, the more it rubbed me up the wrong way; which is why I knocked off one star from my rating.

Overall, it's a nice little book. The title 'box' on the cover itself has a raised texture which feels pleasing to the touch. The paper is of a high quality, and the afterword by Donald G. Sheehy was of added interest and made a welcome additional piece of further reading.

This is a funny little story. Many of the situations did make me laugh due to their shear absurdity. It does have sadness because life is generally sad. But, we all still find ways of finding happiness within the tragedy of it all.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and I also enjoyed this comic version too.

I have seen the motion picture. It does not follow the same story, but I liked it too as a great bit if science fiction. show less

Lucy is falling down the mountain in this humorous new picture-book from author/illustrator Kevin Cornell, gaining momentum as she goes. The mountaineer, duck, and bear-pile she encounters on her way are no help at all, and down she continues to go. Eventually she just accepts the situation and rolls with it, becoming a massive snowball in the process. In the end, it's no harm done... save for a little nausea!

An entertaining tale is paired with humorous artwork in Lucy Fell Down the show more Mountain, which will resonate with anyone who's ever had a bad day. Sometimes things go from bad to worse, and one just has to ride it through, something Lucy learns on her downward journey. The conclusion, in which Lucy barfs at the end of her roll, is sure to amuse younger children who enjoy a little gross humor. Recommended to anyone looking for humorous picture-book adventures. show less

Artwork is amazing, with lots of detail to sift through. The story was sly and fun, though I almost felt that it wrapped up a little too quickly.