Tim and the Blanket Thief

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful story, beautifully illustrated.
Review: This book has been one of my son's favorites since he was about three (he's now five). The blanket thief (who steals children's toys and one night nab's our hero's security blanket) is wonderfully illustrated as a mysterious dark shape with a pointed hat who vanishes into smoke when Tim faces his fears. Actually, the illustrations throughout the book are lovely--especially the dark blue scene when Tim is chasing the Blanket Thief through the empty night streets and the dark green one when he's chasing him through the forest. "The streets were dark and empty. The woods were darker still."

It's also nice that, although Tim conquers his fears and becomes the hero of the story, he continues to sleep with his blanket "for just a while longer." I think it's nice that children know that, while they can eventually become the heros of their own lives, that it's still okay to hold onto their blankets (literal and metaphorical) until they're really ready to give them up.