Does Frankenstein Get Hungry?

July 2, 2018
Musing on the realities of monster life helps the human narrator of this story feel a little less spooked “in the dead of night/ when I find myself awake.” The more the girl wonders whether Frankenstein would like some of her “Camp Scout” cookies to take the edge off his hunger and whether cycling mummies’ “crusty bandages get tangled in the spokes,” the more she realizes that “Being scared is so silly now that monsters seem so weak!” Debut author Solimine, a graphic designer, works in a bright, playful animation-like style. But the wrap-up may be overly simplified (are monsters really “weak”—or is it really that they’re a lot like people?), and the rhyming lines’ sameness makes the book’s series of questions feel more like a catalogue than a story. Ages 5–8.  

August 1, 2018
Instead of worrying about the many monsters and ghouls that are typical Halloween haunts, a young girl, who narrates in the first person as she lies in bed, uses her imagination to put her fears to rest. After an opening verse and an image of the girl with her blankets pulled up to her chin, Solimine's first spread-spanning illustration shows the girl in bed in her room, the blue monochrome illustration showing all sorts of spooky things. But this little girl isn't one to panic. Instead, she lets her curiosity take charge, the illustrations depicting each silly scenario: "Are MUMMIES fond of long bike rides / just like normal folks? / Or do their crusty bandages / get tangled in the spokes?" Do ghosts teach their pets to play dead? Does Dracula floss? Does the Boogeyman wipe his boogers on his sleeve? The final spread returns readers to the bedroom, only now the spooky things are gone, replaced by the objects that inspired them: the tentacle beneath the bed? Only a scarf. "All these questions make the ghoulish appear foolish / and the ghostly mostly meek. / Being scared is so silly now that / monsters seem so weak!" Though the text's scansion is sometimes off, Solimine's pencil, pen, and Photoshop illustrations are sure to tickle readers' funny bones (and disgust them as well). The palette is heavy on orange, green, and purple; the girl has brown skin and brown braids.Imagination is a powerful tool; perhaps this will show readers how to harness its powers to tame their fears instead of feeding them. (Picture book. 4-8)

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