More marvelous mischief. This one has a fair few strips where Calvin's parents join in the fun, and those are some of my favorites. I particularly like the one where the dad leaves Calvin in the car while he runs an errand, and Calvin and Hobbes hide under a blanket in the back seat. When Dad comes back, he pretends he can't find him and that he's thrilled to have lost him. His playfulness there is great, and Calvin's indignation when he pops up out of hiding is hilarious. This collection also features "the little racoon" sequence, at which I had to put the book down for a bit and come back when I felt ready. Nine strips of gentle weepy brilliance there. ~Feb 2024 ( )

Cartoon

I first discovered this book when I was ten, and delighted in reading it every two weeks at my doctor's office. When she moved her practice, I was sad to leave this book and the comfortable waiting room couch behind. Twenty years later, I understand a lot more of the jokes and it's still a delight. Some of the jokes have certainly not aged well, but I think that shows progress as a society. Calvin's an incredibly smart six-year-old, who's still clearly six years old. I laughed and felt bad for his parents a lot. Hobbes made me smile for entirely different reasons, but it was still a warm smile and not a "omg u r such a terrible figure and I shouldn't be laughing" type thing. I like that nobody's perfect and the humor's a little dark. It's about a kid, but I wouldn't say it's for so many kids. I'm glad I got to read this again. ( )

Even though this collection of comics has many joyful and hilarious moments, Patterson seemed to include many darker elements in the life of a child as well. As the title hints at, we get many moments of childhood fear - in Calvin's case he and Hobbes are sure that there are in fact monsters under the bed who are out to eat them. Watterson presents these moments as amusing, often showing the monster's point of view by including their dialogue, but this bending of reality shows a realism that betrays the minds of children (which is not always centred in our regular adult reality). Watterson also includes a series of comics which treats Calvin's first brush with death. Not his own or human, as that would be far too dark for this early, but through the death of a small raccoon that Calvin finds in the woods. His parents attempt to save the animal, but unfortunately they are not able to, bringing Calvin to question his parents' infallibility and the mortality of the world. The series is mostly comedic, so many of the life lessons that Calvin teaches readers are buffered by comedy, but this collection shows us more blatantly than others that Watterson is apable of being darker if he chooses to be. ( )

I loved reading this book growing up! I probably read upwards of 10 times when I was a kid. I loved the illustrations and the witty banter between Calvin, Hobbes, and his parents.