Even Monsters...

March 15, 2014
Who says monsters can only be frightful? Although monsters roar, snarl, grumble, growl and howl, Smith's playful text asserts that they also know how to behave. The text's cheeky humor is immediately apparent as the tasks the little monsters carry out involve putting on clean underwear and combing cooties out of their fur. Illustrations extend the text about eating a "well-rounded breakfast" by depicting a box of "Swamp Munch Cereal" with "Free Bugs Inside" alongside a carton of "Mantis Milk." Such playful intraiconic work affirms the interdependence of art and text, but the occasional indistinctness of the art and the sometimes-cluttered layout of the pages undermine the overall cohesion of the work as a whole. Furthermore, readers familiar with Jane Yolen and Mark Teague's How Do Dinosaurs... series may find that this title cuts a bit too close to the line between similar and derivative in its execution. A humorous, somewhat unoriginal offering--for kids who prefer monsters to dinosaurs. (Picture book. 3-5)

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May 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-"Everybody knows monsters SNARL! But did you know...Even snarling monsters ride the bus to school. They learn their ABC's and draw in art class." Readers quickly find out that monsters are just like them. The true winner of this book is the amazing art. Every spread seems to have hidden jokes and amusing details. The monster chooses "Swamp Munch Cereal" ("free bugs inside") and "Mantis Milk" for breakfast, and he wears "Fur of the Loom" underwear. These additions will make the book a favorite in both storytimes and one-on-one readings. Pair it with Mo Willems's Leonardo, the Terrible Monster (Hyperion, 2005) for a laughter-filled beastie storytime.-Brooke Rasche, La Crosse Public Library, WI

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