The Monster Who Lost His Mean

May 28, 2012
Every monster carries a kind of genetic code that consists, conveniently, of the letters in “monster” (“Mean, Observant, Noisy, super Strong, and Tough to please,/ Envious, Remarkable: A monster’s all of these”). So when one chartreuse, horned creature loses his “M” and becomes just “The Onster,” the other monsters kick him out of their bullying gang. Losing his M, however, turns Onster into a mensch: “The Onster thinks, I’ll throw some eggs at Mr. Lander’s van!/ But winds up cooking brunch for the entire Lander clan.” He may be exiled from monsterdom, but his upstanding behavior wins him popularity with the in-crowd that matters: kindhearted human kids. Debut author Haber’s rhymes hammer home lessons about peer pressure and nice guys finishing first. The obviousness of the message is mitigated by Edmunds’s (So You Want to Be a Rock Star) cheeky digital drawings. Her Onster, who resembles an oversize, overstuffed pillow, looks truly liberated by his loss of fierceness. There’s no need to be told, “He’s happier in every way!”—his goofy grin and eager eyes say it all. Ages 4–8. Agent: Teresa Kietlinski, Prospect Agency.

August 1, 2012
Although there are many stories about the perils and rewards of a monster's turning nice, this one goes a little further, touching upon being rejected by peers, being bullied and eventually being at ease with who one is. Supposedly each letter in the word "monster" stands for a valuable character trait that all these creatures share: M is for mean, O is for Observant, N is for Noisy, S is for Super Strong, T is for Tough-to-Please, E is for Envious and R is for Remarkable. Sadly, the lime green, rectangular protagonist loses his "M" and his ability to be truly mean. Now he is "just The Onster." Without his "mean," he becomes the target of teasing and feels embarrassed when he is caught by the monster pack doing good deeds and fitting in with the more kindhearted and accepting young humans. Even when he purposely tries to do something bad, such as pulling "the flowers out of Mrs. Power's yard," he "just can't bear to harm them, so he waters them instead." The rhyming text proceeds at a steady clip, and Edmunds digitally renders scenes that aptly depict the monster's back-and-forth feelings about becoming a nonthreatening, thoughtful and friendly Onster. Readers will chime in with the "hip, hip hooray" this cuddly-looking creature earns when he finally embraces and celebrates his differences. (Picture book. 4-7)

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August 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 1-"Mean, Observant, Noisy, super Strong, and Tough-to-please, Envious, Remarkable: A monster's all of these." But, what happens when a little monster loses his "M" and can't be mean anymore? He's now just an "Onster" and is ostracized by his friends. Instead of pulling out all of Mrs. Power's flowers, he waters them. Instead of egging Mr. Lander's van, he cooks brunch for the whole family. He helps with chores and joins the children on the soccer field, the basketball court, and at the lake. When they throw him a surprise party to show their appreciation, he realizes that while he may have lost his "M," he's found amazing friends. The upbeat, lively, rhyming text reads aloud perfectly and is skillfully complemented by digitally created illustrations. Even the meanest monsters are playful. Young listeners and readers will delight in the Onster's search for his place in the world.-Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.