Monstrous good fun to share with your own favorite beast.
Monster parents aren’t all that different from human ones.
Each digitally rendered spread portrays a different type of monster, but collectively, they tell the tale of a day spent together. A Godzilla-like child wakes the parent “with a monstrous roar,” and it’s nonstop action from then on: from catch and tag (skeletons) and tickle fights (Frankenstein’s monsters) to running and fishing (creatures from the black lagoon) and noise-making (ghosts—each with four eyes). “The secret hideout that we built / was awesome to behold. // My face turned red with laughter / from the silly jokes you told.” Two bigfoots grab a snack (much to two campers’ dismay), and a wolf parent with two cubs observe the rising moon (and a girl in a red cape). A mummy parent chases the child into bed, a colossal ape gives hugs (a real helicopter clutched in the child’s hand like a toy), and a vampire bat gently folds the child’s wings. The creepy and silly balance each other out, though readers will likely agree that being a human in this monster world might be precarious. Though the title indicates that this is a book about monster dads and their sons, nothing in the illustrations spells out gender, and the text, first person from the parent’s point of view, says “son” only once (and though that is a necessary word for the end rhyme, it could so easily be changed to “one”).
Monstrous good fun to share with your own favorite beast. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2937-2
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
Not necessarily just for Halloween; readers can appreciate it any time.
Which cottage would stand out more in a real estate ad: cute or…haunted?
Clarissa the sentient cottage dislikes cuteness; as a pink, adorable haven for flowers and squirrels, she’s bored. She yearns to be scary and haunted like her father, a gloomy castle, and her mother, a smelly, vermin-infested witch’s hut. Dad gladly donates clouds but tells Clarissa it’s OK to be herself. The clouds are a bust because they bring rain, which brings forth…a rainbow, plants, and birds. Mom supplies a reeking bottle whose contents allegedly repel living things. Clarissa opens it but…attracts playful dogs. Finally abandoning her desire for a ghostly boarder, Clarissa invites her animals to remain. At the end, a particular creature’s unexpected arrival—and its most uncharacteristic behavior—reveal Clarissa’s true nature: horrible and cute. And she’s just fine with that. This rhyming story is certainly an unusual take on the finding-oneself trope. The bouncy verses mostly read and scan well, include sophisticated vocabulary, and provide Clarissa with a spunky, appealing personality. Different typefaces represent the voices of Clarissa, each parent, and the narrator. The cheerful, lively illustrations are very colorful but a trifle twee; Clarissa and her parents are differentiated through vivid pinks, dreary shades, and anthropomorphic faces. Nature blossoms via bright depictions of flowers, trees, animals, and birds.
Not necessarily just for Halloween; readers can appreciate it any time. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68119-791-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Intended as an amusing parody, this groans with outdated irrelevance and immaturity.
While spending the day with Grandpa, young Goldie offers tips on the care and keeping of grandparents.
Though “loyal and loving,” Goldie’s grandfather proves to be quite a character. At Grandparents Day at school, his loud greeting and incessant flatulence are embarrassing, but Goldie is confident that he—and all grandparents—can be handled with the “right care and treatment.” The young narrator notes that playtime should involve the imagination rather than technology—“and NO video games. It’s just too much for them.” Goldie observes that grandparents “live on a diet of all the things your parents tell them are bad for them” but finds that Grandpa’s favorite fast-food restaurant does make for a great meal out. The narrator advises that it’s important for grandparents to get plenty of exercise; Grandpa’s favorite moves include “the Bump, the Hustle, and the Funky Chicken.” The first-person instruction and the artwork—drawn in a childlike scrawl—portray this grandfather in a funny, though unflattering, stereotypical light as he pulls quarters from Goldie’s ears, burps on command, and invites Goldie to pull his finger. Goldie’s grandfather seems out of touch with today’s more tech-savvy and health-oriented older people who are eager to participate with their grandchildren in contemporary activities. Though some grandparent readers may chuckle, kids may wonder how this mirrors their own relationships. Goldie and Grandpa are light-skinned; Goldie’s classmates are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Intended as an amusing parody, this groans with outdated irrelevance and immaturity. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-24932-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
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