Christopher Sat Straight Up in Bed    by Kathy Long & Patricia Cantor Order:  USA  Can Eerdmans, 2013 (2013) Hardcover      Reviewed by J. A. Kaszuba Locke Be ready for an adorable, cunning, huggable story about Christopher by Kathy Long, with splendid illustrations by the late Patricia Cantor. Christopher is spending the night with his grandparents, and as he settles into bed all cozy and sleepy, he suddenly hears a loud noise ... 'HONK-SHOO'! It is the middle of the night, and trying as hard as he might, Christopher attempts over and over to settle under the blankets, but the noises make it impossible for him to sleep. Christopher's imagination grows hearing a noise thundering through the house: 'HONK-SHOO'! Could it be an elephant trumpeting outside his window, or a bear in the closet? Just maybe a dinosaur stomping down the street? Christopher gathers up all his courage, and readers follow close behind as he tiptoes down the hall to find out where or what the noise is coming from. Looking over the window sill he sees shadows. He bends over the edge of the bed to see if there is something under there, but he only sees dust bunnies. (It is this illustration that I love the most: camera spotlight on the backside of Christopher, leaning into his search under the bed, as I see his backside on the bed and his face with wide-eyes peering under it). Christopher and his imagination are adorable, lovable, and his story will be revisited many times over. Christopher Sat Straight Up in Bed is a forever-to-read and forever-to-keep book for all ages to treasure. Kathy Long's titles include The Runaway Shopping Cart and God is Near. Patricia Cantor was an award-winning illustrator and a teacher of art at California State University until her untimely death in 2012. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews