Doris Lund (1919–2003)

A bothersome little boy tries to put off sleep by rustling through the things under his bed and pestering his father about what's under the rug under his bed, and under the floor under the rug under his bed, and under the next thing and so on.

The rhyme scheme is almost as annoying as having to hold the book sideways because the cover and all the pages are printed 90 degrees off the norm.

This was a childhood favorite, mostly (I think) because of the mood it evoked for me. I was, and am, fascinated by lost or hidden things, and the descriptions of all the things that were "under" thrilled me. I did re-read the book recently and, while it was not as mysterious as I remembered, it was still a nice bedtime book.

Grades Preschool-3 In a science lesson plan, you could explain the relevance of how Dudley's father describes "what's under". An example in how a building is built and designed as well as structural information. The science content is simple yet accurate.

Dudley won't go to sleep. He is fearful that there are monsters living under his bed and rug in his bedroom. Dudley won't go to sleep until his father reassures him that there aren't any. He carefully looks under his bed to discover all the show more interesting things that he has left behind. But no monsters to find! Dudley's father tries to explain to him what is really under his bed. The kitchen, the table the cellar, and the floor are to name a few. Finally, Dudley is assured that everything that is under his bed is safe for him to go to sleep. show less

Dudley won't go to sleep until his father tells him what's under the bed, and what's under the rug under the bed, and what's under that. With delightful watercolor illustrations.

This was one of my childhood favorites. Much better than "Goodnight Moon".