Fiendish monsters—and everyone else—rejoice! (Picture book. 3-7)
A grand return to a world of endearing monsters from the duo behind I Will Chomp You! (2015).
Readers meet an immaculately dressed, wildly hairy monster who has more than its share of woes. “Quit calling me a monster! Just…stop it, right this minute!” John once again employs direct address to let the monster air its grievances. At first, the scraggly protagonist attempts to prove to readers that it's not so monstrous. Sure, it does have all the trademarks of a monster, with its “huge, toothy smile that glows in the dark” and “crazy hair” and “wild eyes.” However, looks can deceive. As the monster gradually rallies against stereotypes and directs its ire toward readers, the book plumbs even greater depths of humor. “It’s not like I ever call you names, do I?” Shea’s colorful, expressive illustrations enhance the theatrical antics of the monster through the twitch of a grin or eye, making the monster seem as approachable as it is cranky. Still, the good old monster can’t seem to shake the label. After admitting that, OK, it is a monster, it instead opts for a different approach, introducing itself to readers. “My name is Floyd. Floyd Peterson.” After all, Floyd Peterson sounds like someone no one would mind meeting.
Fiendish monsters—and everyone else—rejoice! (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-385-38990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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BOOK REVIEW
A brightly colored monster tale that begs to be animated. Repeat readings required.
How do you deal with an infestation of monsters?
“Winifred Schnitzel was never afraid. / Not of monsters or ghouls or the noises they made.” In fact, young Winifred loves pirates and werewolves and scary movies. This doesn’t stop monsters of all shapes and sizes from trying to scare her, but all of their growling and snarling and menacing is for naught, as Winifred thinks monsters are cute. However, their nightly visits are keeping her awake, so she buys a book (Monsters Beware!) for monster-trapping ideas. The sticky-string trap doesn’t work, and neither does the stinky cheese (they just eat it). She’s so pooped she sleeps through ballet class. Next, she makes every trap in her monster book, and that tuckers her out to such an extent that she’s already snoring when the monsters arrive the next night. She wakes groggily from a dream of kissing puppies and accidentally kisses a monster on the schnozzle—thus discovering every monster’s weakness. Now she dismisses each monster with a kiss and sleeps very well every night. Fredrickson’s jauntily rhyming tale of brave, African-American Winifred is an excellent balm to monster fears. Robertson’s googly-eyed monsters of all shapes and sizes are cartoon-adorable, with just a hint of toothy, clawed ferocity.
A brightly colored monster tale that begs to be animated. Repeat readings required. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1345-0
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
Silly supernatural fun.
A bloodsucking creature of the night crosses paths with a jam sandwich.
“Would you like to hear a scary story?” asks a large-eyed, lugubrious child with a red bow tie, holding a flashlight as a striped cat looks on. After building suspense for a few pages, the youngster obliges. “The story goes that long ago, a vampire—possibly named Terrence—snuck into someone’s kitchen and took a bite out of their jam sandwich. The vampire probably thought the jam was…something else”; when a sleepy, nightgown-clad child (apparently Terrence’s sibling) soon awakened and entered the kitchen, Terrence fled, leaving behind a jam sandwich minus one bite. Now the sandwich is cursed, destined to search the night for more jam! Unless…readers keep their preserves secure. The narrator offers a few insincere suggestions for doing so, such as storing your jam in the backyard or on a window ledge. By this time, readers will be in on the joke: Terrence and our narrator are one and the same. Is the protagonist a vampire? Or just a conniving youngster trying to trick audiences out of their jam? Kids can judge for themselves. Lyall’s text begs to be read aloud in dramatically spooky tones, while Gregory’s illustrations, rendered in a sepia-toned palette with pops of red, are deliciously creepy; the fang-gnashing, jam-drooling, unibrowed sandwich is a particular delight. The human characters are pale-skinned.
Silly supernatural fun. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781774883464
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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BOOK REVIEW
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