Jeremy Draws a Monster

Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty
Illustrated by Peter McCarty
Published by Henry Holt and Company
2009

     Jeremy lived on the top floor of an apartment building. From his window he could see kids playing outside, but Jeremy never joined them. He never left his apartment and never went outside. One day Jeremy took "his fancy pen" and drew a large blue monster. Immediately the monster starting making all kinds of demands: "draw me sandwich", "a toaster", "a checkerboard," "a comfortable chair." He never asked nicely, he never said thank you.  Jeremy got tired of the monster so he finally drew him a one way bus ticket and a suitcase, and to make sure he didn't miss the bus (and never come back), Jeremy walked him outside all the way to the bus stop.  While he was outside, the other kids saw him and asked him to join them and play. And he did.
     Jeremy Draws a Monster is beautifully illustrated by Peter McCarty with ink and watercolors.  Each page has a large white background which allows the characters to really pop, especially the large blue monster.  The story is humorous and entertaining and at its core it shows the power of imagination triumphant over the monster: Jeremy's imagination brought out the monster, and while it ended up causing him trouble, Jeremy held onto the power with his wit and creativity (loved the "one way ticket" solutions).  Delightful read aloud!

King Jack and the Dragon

King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bently
Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
2011

     King Jack and the Dragon had me from the moment I saw the cover.  It just looked like one of those books I would've read so many times as a child that pages would've fallen off.  And once I started reading I was not disappointed.
     Jack, Zack, and Caspar are building a fort for King Jack and his men.  They use a cardboard box, sheets and sticks and soon the King and his knight are ready to battle and defend their castle.  They fight off dragons and monsters with their wooden swords and sticks and then they "returned to their stronghold for fabulous feast." They wanted to spend the night inside their fort, but a giant -his dad- came and took Zack home.  Soon, another giant takes baby Caspar home for bedtime.  As Jack is left alone inside the fort, he hears many scary noises but he's able to defeat his fears and stay. That is until a four-legged monster makes its way to the fort.
     King Jack and the Dragon feels like a new classic.  A tale about young boys using their imagination to play together for hours, building forts, and fighting all sorts of creatures.  The illustrations  by Oxenbury have that timeless feeling about them, just beautiful.  This is a book that will be read and reread. No doubt.  One of my favorites this year.

Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters

Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters by Jane Yolen

Illustrated by Kelly Murphy

2011

     The monsters in Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters are just like any other kids.  They go to school -at Creepy P. Elementary school-  creeping and crawling.  They play outside, hip-hoping and tumbling.  They head back home slithering and waving.  The eat their dinner -worm burgers- and take a bath.  They even say their prayers and climb into bed.  And they don't like falling asleep right away either, "they toss and turn and bounce instead." Until finally they drift to sleep.

     Young readers of Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters will delight in the funny character in the book, and will relate to the daily activities of the two main monsters.  The illustrations by Murphy are great, with a large array of different monsters in funny situations, sure to capture the attention of all the monster fans.  A cool and different bedtime story.

Go Away, Big Green Monster!

Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley

1992

     Die-cut pages allow the reader to construct and deconstruct a  big green monster in this engaging book.  The first page shows only the big yellow eyes; the next page adds the long bluish-greenish nose; the third page adds the big red mouth with sharp white teeth...and so on until we have constructed page by page the whole green monster. Then comes the kicker: we get to yell at the monster and make him go away: "...YOU DON'T SCARE ME! So GO AWAY"  And now, page by page, we get to deconstruct the monster: first the scraggly purple hair goes away, then the squiggly ears, and the nose...all of it, until the monster is gone. "GO AWAY, Big Green Monster! and DON'T COME BACK! Until I say so."

     Not only is Go Away, Big Green Monster! a great read-aloud, one that the kids soon memorize and join in the read, but it's also a go to book when they are scared and need a way to face their fears.  By constructing the monster and then being able to deconstruct it, they gain the power over their fear.  I'll have to check out the other books by Emberley.

Go to Bed, Monster!

Go to Bed, Monster! by Natasha Wing

Illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz

2007

     One night, Lucy "could not, would not, did not want to go to bed." She wanted to draw instead.  She grabbed her crayons and began drawing geometrical figures, and suddenly the shapes started moving on the paper and right before her eyes they turned into a monster.  The monster roared, but Lucy was not scared, she was just happy to have someone to play with!  Monster and Lucy played and played; they built castles, flew planes, ran and jumped all over her room...until Lucy was exhausted.  "Let's play sleeping lions." But Monster does not want to go to sleep now! He has a laundry list of reason why he can't go to sleep yet -and if you're a parent, you've heard them all- he's hungry, thirsty, cold,  needs to use the potty, scared, not sleepy, the room is too dark...Lucy does everything she can to appease him, and at the end, only when she reads him a bedtime story, does Monster fall asleep next to Lucy.

     Go to Bed, Monster! is a great bedtime story.  Young kids will see themselves in Lucy and Monster.  My son asked for a reread right away...and unfortunately for me, he already used a couple of Monster's excuses for staying out of bed tonight!  The oil pastels and oil paint illustrations by Kantorovitz are perfect: funny and sweet. The pastels give it a child-like quality that helps children connect with the story because they feel like one of "them" drew the illustrations.    

What a Tantrum! Vaya Rabieta!

What a Tantrum! / Vaya rabieta! by Mireille d'Allance
Illustrated by Mireille d'Allance
Originally published in 2000 in French as Grosse colere
2004

     Roberto has had a bad day.  He has lost his tennis match, broken his racket and is walking inside his house with tons of mud in his shoes.  When his father asks him to take off his tennis shoes, he kicks them off as hard as he can.  And when he finds out there's spinach for dinner, he's had enough! "Are you kidding?"  His father sends him to his room to calm down.  But upstairs, Roberto's anger builds up, until a red monster comes out of his mouth and starts destroying everything in his room. When the red monster ends up breaking one of his favorite toys, Roberto tries to stop it.  While cleaning up the mess the "monster" had done, Roberto realizes he has calmed down and he's ready to go back downstairs to have dinner with his dad.
     The idea of Roberto's anger spilling out and becoming  monster is very interesting.  I can see the story working as a way to approach and talk about anger with younger kids.  The bilingual edition of What a Tantrum! / Vaya rabieta! flows very well.  I find sometimes that bilingual editions are a bit choppy and awkward, but I felt that both English and Spanish versions of the story seemed "natural".  I'm interested in finding other bilingual editions like this one, where the goal is to tell the story in both languages -not to try to teach vocabulary like most bilingual books I've read.

Jitterbug Jam: A Monster Tale

Jitterbug Jam by Barbara Jean Hicks
Illustrated by Alexis Deacon
2005

     I love books that tell a familiar story from a surprising point of view.  Jitterbug Jam is one of those books.  The familiar story of the kid fighting his fears of a monster hiding in the closet or under his bed, is given a fresh twist when we hear the tale told by a little monster named Bobo.  Bobo is really frightened by a boy with  pink skin, orange fur on his head, and blue eyes.  The boy has been waking Bobo up in the middle of the day (that's when monsters sleep) and is hiding under Bobo's bed.  After Bobo shares his fears with his grandpa Boo-dad, he knows the way to confront the boy.  He will "flash him a great big toothy grin."
     My son immediately connected with Bobo and his fears.  The language and rhythm of the story is musical and childlike at the same time.  And flows beautifully; you can really hear the characters. The illustrations by Deacon are simply fantastic and timeless.  I loved this book!

Monsters Eat Whiny Children

Monsters Eat Whiny Children by Bruce Eric Kaplan
Illustrated by Bruce Eric Kaplan
2010

     "Once there were two perfectly delightful children who were going through a TERRIBLE phase, which is to say they whined ALL day and night."  All parents out there know exactly what Kaplan is talking about in his opening lines to Monsters Eat Whiny Children.  That horrible, painful stage, when kids just whine and whine...and we find ourselves repeating "Use your regular voice!" over and over.  Kaplan gives us a great book to try to help kids get over that stage immediately.
     In Monsters Eat Whiny Children, the kid's father tells them that monsters eat whiny children.  They don't believe him until one day a monster comes and steals them away,  What follows is a series of hilarious situations where monsters argue over the best way to eat the children.  The kids find a way to get away and never whine again...we hope.  Kaplan's illustrations are cartoon like -in fact he draws cartoons for the New Yorker -and his sense of humor is dark (he wrote for Seinfeld and Six Feet Under).  I wouldn't read it to kids under 4, unless their whining is really driving you crazy...but any older? Fair game.

First Day. I Need My Monster

     I've decided to read at least a picture book a day for the next year.  I read every night to my 4 year old son and I have found myself in the middle of a new love affair with picture books.  I think about them long after the lights are turned off.  It has made me think that my dream of writing for children needs a kick in the butt.  That kick comes in the form of this blog.
     I will not only read but write about each book as a way of immersing myself in the world of children's literature.  There will be one picture book added each day, and in those days when I also finish a YA Book, I'll include that one too.
     So here it goes! Best place to start will be with my son's current favorite book:

I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll.

Illustrated by Howard McWilliam.

Year: 2009

     This beautifully written and illustrated book puts on a hilarious twist to the idea of monsters hiding under the bed. Ethan is a boy who discovers that his monster, Gabe, has gone on vacation.  He spends the night dealing with substitute monsters.

     I love the sense of humor. The dialogue flows with ease and you can really "hear" the different voices and tones of its characters.

     It is a fantastic read aloud!  I have so much fun creating all the voices for the different monsters that I'm finding myself grabbing the book even before Santiago asks.