*Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster by Michelle Nelson-Schmidt (2012) is a book for my bedside table. Here’s a story that persons of any age can relate to. Adult versions of this theme appear on bookstore shelves in a wide variety of disguises. Nelson-Schmidt has distilled the basic idea into an easy to remember rhyme. “Some Whatif Monsters like to hang out, and fill up our heads with worry and doubt.” Yep. After a cute little Whatif Monster nags Jonathan all through the first half of the book, Jonathan pushes back. “But what if you’re wrong?” he asks, and refutes every one of the Whatif Monster’s worries.
