THERE WAS AN OLD MONSTER!
by Rebecca Emberley and illustrated by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley
Three generations collaborated to create this catchy spin on the storytime classic. This particular monster—a speckled purple critter with horns, claws and a natty green skirt positioned against a black background—swallows (ugh) a tick, quickly followed by ants (“scritchy-scratch, / scritch, scratchy scratch”), a lizard, a bat, a jackal (“I swear I heard him cackle”) and a bear. The contents of the distressed monster’s ever-expanding belly are visible throughout—no wonder “he STILL felt sick.” Written by Rebecca Emberley, illustrated in eye-popping Technicolor by the author and her father, Ed Emberley, and set to music by the author’s daughter, Adrian Emberley (available for download from Scholastic’s website), this agreeably stomach-turning tune will doubtless see heavy storytime action. (Picture book. 3-6)