This delightful and quite sophisticated picture book is a joy to behold, but during the story of Lily and her walk with her dog, Nicky, it is Nicky who sees all the monsters on their way, while Lily is blissfully unaware because she feels safe with her doggy companion. From a red pillar box that bends over and opens its large, toothy mouth to growl at Nicky, to a billboard with a ghostly man coming alive in it while bats fly around, to a river with a sea monster, and a rubbish bin with multiple monsters issuing from it, Nicky sees them all and barks continuously, just as any dog would. Lily tells her parents all about where they have been when eating supper, and poor Nicky is barking away in a corner, trying hard to explain what really happened. But the real 'coup de grace' is the final page that opens out and shows Lily tucked up in bed, and Nicky in a state of fright at the army of mice that has appeared through the skirting board. Wonderfully funny and gothic and puts the whole idea of fears into perspective. The illustrations are outstanding, as to be expected from this artist.