A Valentine for Frankenstein

October 1, 2018
No matter how much the other monsters tease him, Frankenstein is "comfortable in his own green skin."All the monsters are preparing for the Valentine's Day Bash, but even though Frankenstein (the monster, not the doctor) is wearing his "worst tuxedo," "crookedest smile," and droopiest flower, the other monsters tease him: "Just two eyes!" "No tail." "And he's nice....Blech!" Indeed he is. He retrieves a child's muddy toy, compliments others even when they are unkind to him, and helps out a skeleton who has fallen apart. But kindness isn't the only storyline here. Frankenstein becomes smitten with Belcher, a monster he's never met before, and she feels the same, slipping a valentine in his pocket asking him to be hers. The other monsters don't understand what she sees in him. "I've never met a friendly monster before," she enthuses. "He's my kind of monster!" And just like that, the other monsters see Frankenstein's kindness as a positive quality and finally accept him. Banks' digital illustrations go overboard (in a good way) in portraying the gruesome and grotesque, and small details in the spreads will delight careful observers. The bright palette features some almost-fluorescent shades, and his monsters are definitely a diverse bunch.Regardless of the monsters' rather sudden turnabout, Frankenstein models self-assurance and kindness, both of which are much needed. (Picture book. 4-8)

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September 15, 2018
Grades K-2 Frankenstein is really bad?at being a monster. He only has two eyes and no tail, he's kind of polite, and he's not even that disgusting. There's no way he'll be popular at the Valentine's Day Bash, where everyone is trying to be as revolting as possible. Frankenstein tries to be upbeat, so he slaps on a smile (literally) and his worst suit and heads to the dance, where he fails miserably at the cupcake-decorating contest (he uses glitter instead of fungus), the banana-slug-pie-eating contest (he's disqualified when he daintily wipes his mouth), and the belching contest ("You call that a burp?"). After this series of downers, even endless optimist Frankenstein is a little dejected, but what's this? Someone has slipped a valentine into his pocket! Could someone like him, even though he's not much of a monster, after all? There's never a dull moment in this Halloween-Valentine's Day mashup, and the frenetic, slime-covered illustrations give readers plenty to look at. A brightly colored, action-packed lesson in being yourself.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)