An unusual gallery of new and old monsters, kaiju, cryptids, creatures, and pop-culture creations.
Monsters from many lands, cultures, and media are revealed by peering through a red cellophane spyglass.
Placed in cartoon landscapes or other settings and hiding behind red grids that vanish when viewed through the colored lens, the monstrous lineup features the likes of a troll, Dracula, and the Big Bad Wolf but also goes far beyond such usual suspects to include Gollum, Voldemort, Jabba the Hutt, Edward Scissorhands, Cthulhu, the ghost of Anne Boleyn, and Martians—not from The War of the Worlds but the ones with exploding heads from Mars Attacks! Reflecting the distinctly Eurocentric (not to say Gallic) slant to the selections, at least eight are or are billed as French while only one, Mokele-Mbembe, represents African traditions, and there are no Native American boojums. Also, some entrants, such as Casper the Friendly Ghost, Hypsignathus (a big but real bat), and the Dahu, a goatlike creature of French folklore that has short legs on one side for walking on slopes, seem like outliers. Whether they are bad actors or not, Ledesma draws them all in such a scrawly, naïve style that they would be hard to recognize without the prompts that Potard supplies (“JAWS: This giant shark has razor-sharp teeth,” and “you can tell he’s coming by the scary music”) along the bottom edges. For young fans who want to make their own monsters and/or spyglass, an array of reproducible body parts for the former and simple directions for the latter bring up the rear.
An unusual gallery of new and old monsters, kaiju, cryptids, creatures, and pop-culture creations. (Informational novelty. 5-9)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9999680-6-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: What on Earth!
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
Disconcerting and possibly deadly dealings are afoot; certain to charm younger fans of the macabre.
In the latest installment of the delightfully disturbing chapter-book series, the mundane once more takes on supernatural qualities, this time in the form of veggies.
With this follow-up to Troubling Tonsils! (2025), our host, Jasper Rabbit, once more channels Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling. As Jasper narrates, we meet our heroes: fourth graders Thaddeus Badger and Oliver Possum, who love nothing more than eating junk food, particularly the hamburgers at Hurt-A-Burger (a mildly brilliant corporate name on the author’s part). When Oliver’s parents trick the two into a dinner of salads at their favorite fast-food joint, Thaddeus feels betrayed, but Oliver experiences something a little more dire. Soon after, Oliver starts acting strangely, and his parents begin behaving even more oddly. What’s going on? And does it have anything to do with the full moon? Tone is the true star of the show in this series; the mystery unspools thanks to the buildup of unnerving moments. Reynolds combines suspense with a keen ability to artistically frame both sunny innocent sequences and those rich with dark foreboding. Notably, this is no morality tale about eating your vegetables—this tale is fully on the side of its child readers. Brown’s black-and-white images, punctuated with eerie pops of green, heighten both horrifying and comedic moments.
Disconcerting and possibly deadly dealings are afoot; certain to charm younger fans of the macabre. (Chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781665961110
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
Frightful and delightful: a comforting (to some, anyway) reminder that no one sleeps alone.
In a tardy prequel to I Need My Monster (2009), candidates for that coveted spot under the bed audition.
As the distressingly unflappable young narrator looks on, one monster after another gives it a go—but even with three mouths, the best roar Genghis can manage is a puny “blurp!”, silly shadow puppets by shaggy Morgan elicit only a sneeze, and red Abigail’s attempt to startle by hiding in the fridge merely leaves her shivering and pathetic. Fortunately, there’s Gabe, who knows just how to turn big and hairy while lurking outside the bathroom and whose red-eyed stare and gross drooling sends the lad scrambling into bed to save his toes. “Kid, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” the toothy terror growls. Right he is, the lad concludes, snuggling down beneath the covers: “His snorts and ooze were perfect.” As usual, the white-presenting child’s big, bright, smiling face and the assortment of bumbling monsters rendered in oversaturated hues keep any actual scariness at tentacle’s length. Moreover, Monster, Inc. fans will delight in McWilliam’s painstaking details of fang, claw, hair, and scales.
Frightful and delightful: a comforting (to some, anyway) reminder that no one sleeps alone. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-947277-09-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flashlight Press
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
