Billy Brown and the Belly Button BeastieHardcover, 19 December 2007

Confront your fears and listen to your mother!Every night when Billy Brown's mother puts him to bed, she tells him to keep his covers on so he doesn't catch a cold. Yet every morning when she wakes him, he has kicked the covers off the bed. Knowing how proud Billy is of his belly button, his mother tells him that if he doesn't keep the covers on the bed, the Belly Button Beastie is going to pay him a visit and steal his belly button. Billy makes a critical error when he disregards his mother's advice, only to find out the Beastie is real. The chaos that ensues when Billy Brown gets up the next morning interferes with his morning routine and follows him to school, until he and his classmates devise a plan to get his belly button back. With a little improvisation and a lot of bravado, Billy Brown tames the Belly Button Beastie and breaks him of his belly-button-stealing habit for good. Billy is courageous in his confrontation with the Belly Button Beastie and also grows from his experience. This story, taken from a Japanese folktale, celebrates a clever boy who learns of courage, fairness and resourcefulness.