I Wonder What's Under

by Doris Herold Lund, Janet McCaffery (Illustrator)

A little boy won't go to sleep until he finds out what is under his bed.

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Asho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed opinions on this book. On the one hand, it has an unusual rhyme scheme and tells a good story about a dad describing what's under the bed (and under the rug, and under the floor, etc.) to his son, so it is fun to read aloud. On the other hand, it's a bit lengthy. Every time I read it I forget how long it is and I find myself wanting to go, "Enough, already, kid, go to bed!" long before the dad in the book says the same thing. The illustrations are unusual and beautiful watercolor paintings, but I find them sort of creepy for some reason, and they definitely would have creeped me out as a kid. All in all, it balances out to a 4 star read in my opinion.

[Sheherazahde · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes the childhood question, of "What if there is a monster under my bed?" and makes a whole story of it that is extremely down-to-earth and mundane and very anti-monster. It is rather meta with the story being about a father telling his son a bedtime story. It is as grounded as can be - a description of the real world starting under the boy's bed and working downward step by step, under the bed, under the rug, under the floor, under the table in the kitchen downstairs, and continuing under and under and under to the earth itself. At the same time the story honors imagination with the boy's monsters and ghosts and bears illustrated and as real and solid in the pictures as the tables and chairs, and of course the whole journey from the top of the house to the bottom is actually taken only in the boy's imagination.

Part of: * When I was very young I believe my parents got a subscription to Parents Press Magazine books. They also got books from other sources. A key memory of childhood for me is the many children's picture books kept on the built-in shelves in our basement. Recently I put together a list of the ones I could find online and remember: Adele's Childhood Basement Picture Books My amazing husband found many of the physical books as a Christmas gift for me, so I am now seeing and re-reading the physical books for the first time in over twenty years. Be aware that most if not all of them will get an extra star from me for the incredible nostalgia.

[Christine Hatami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story, great design. Written in rhyme is charming and highly readable.
Does anyone know the guided reading level of this book?

[Stacy Tomaszewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable. Good visual, rhyme, family story.