Review by Booklist Review
As the young narrator of this lighthearted lament shows and tells us, the basic problem with not fearing monsters is the amount of mischief these creatures can wrangle a kid into. Food fights, lost homework, and dawdling can all be explained by the bouncy herd of monsters some with octopus-like tentacles, others with furry bodies and large jaws, and one that looks remarkably like one of Sendak's Wild Things who prevent the boy from eating his cereal, finishing his classwork, and getting to sleep at night. The twist at the end is sweet and clever, when his younger brother, who is suitably scared of monsters, comes looking for help. Neubecker matches Richards' direct and well-paced prose with humorously detailed and expressive pen-and-ink cartoons set ablaze with computerized colors. The format will make this easy to share with small groups, while the text invites early readers to gain independence. Add this to the shelf with Mayer's Little Monster picture books and Rebecca Emberly's There Was an Old Monster (2009).--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Plenty of Halloween stories deal with fear, but debut author Richards suggests that bravery has its own pitfalls. His young hero isn't afraid of monsters, and, as a result, they won't leave him alone. "It's hard to climb out of bed in the morning," writes Richards, as the boy crawls out from under a heap of creatures that include a purple hairball, a blue octopuslike monster, and what looks like a giant yellow sponge with horns. The boy's monster "friends" are also happy to sample his cereal, munch on his homework, and wear his favorite pajamas. The book's ending fizzles a bit, with the boy simply foisting his troubles onto his younger brother, but Neubecker's pen-and-ink cartoons draw a good amount of fun out of the relationship between the put-upon narrator and the wide-eyed, well-meaning beasties. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. Illustrator's agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Intrepid monster lovers will delight in reading again and again this list of irksome consequences of being friendly with these creatures. The watercolor and pen cartoons do not miss a mark: depictions of bulky, spiked, tentacled, polka-dotted, scaly, hairy, sharp-toothed, lurid-colored behemoth, and shrimp-sized monsters crush any moment of rest and spoil perfectly good cereal with a long red tongue, and the list goes on. Monsters won't leave this impatient child alone. He can't finish his homework, it gets misplaced, and his breakfast cereal tastes funny. Each complaint comes to life with subtle, amusing visual and typographical surprises. While the text says, "Snack takes forever to clean up," the illustration depicts a veritable food-hurling fandango. The nighttime flash-lit illustrations are superb, as are the dynamic layouts when, all of a sudden, something does scare the boy. His little brother shows up in shadow with his hair standing straight up. Will he get the monsters off his back? Recommended this one to mischievous types of all shapes and sizes, and pair it with Mo Willems's Leonardo, the Terrible Monster (Hyperion, 2005) to spark a discussion of unconventional points of view.-Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A boy who isn't afraid of monsters is stuck with them as troublesome friends. They make it hard to get out of bed, to finish schoolwork, and to clean up after snack (all familiar kid behaviors). Finally, he introduces them to his younger brother; now they're his problem. Bright watercolor and pen cartoons depict the boisterous characters in this rather thin story. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
If you're not scared of monsters, there's no problemright?A boy discovers that if you aren't afraid of monsters, they'll think you are one of themand they will never leave you alone. He finds it hard to get out of bed in the morning, as the monsters all sleep with him. At school, recess can get a little out of hand when a horde of monsters joins in the games. He learns that living with monsters means there is never any hot water, and his favorite pajamas are always dirty (since the monsters borrow them). When he's had enough and he sends them away, though, something really scary comes to his room: his little brother, who's scared of the monsters under his bed. The older boy introduces the monsters to his little brother so they can enjoy a new friend. Richards' picture-book debut is a passable addition to the dealing-with-fear-of-monsters shelf, but these monsters act more like unwanted houseguests or good-natured stalkers than something from under the bed. Furthermore, passing the annoyance on to a younger sibling doesn't seem the best solution. Neubecker's bright, furry, horned and tentacled monsters are more adorable than menacing, which may help allay monster fears among very timid readers. It's probably best to stick with Mercer Mayer's classics or Josh Schneider's Bedtime Monsters (2013). (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
