Rory and the Monstersitter
Rosie Reeve
Bloomsbury Children’s Books pbk
Young Rory’s culinary inclinations lead to all manner of interesting concoctions; take for instance those lunchtime cheese bats or the hairy cakes for tea. One day when his parents go out for dinner, he and his siblings are left in the charge of a babysitter. So what delicious repast will Rory create in his parents’ absence? Well, he needs an enormous saucepan, some twigs and leaves, a splash of water, a sprinkling of salt and pepper for seasoning,

oh and there’s baby Grub’s own special addition too; but what is the main ingredient of this scrumptious supper treat? Oops! Rory seems to have forgotten to add that something spicy, something hairy, something BIG? But not for long…
Well, Rory, that scrumptious dinner certainly had a soporific effect on the younger members of the family. Not our chef himself though, he’s wide awake when his parents return, ready to answer their inquiry, “And how was the babysitter, dear?”
Part of the fun of this delicious, tongue-in-cheek story is that we never get to see the whole of that babysitting monster, just glimpses of a pair of blue hairy feet as he slumps in front of the TV

and later a pair of horns above the shelf. That and the gradual build up of anticipation, not forgetting Rory’s final throwaway line concerning the postman and his imminent arrival.
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