When a Monster Is Born
PreSchool-Grade 1—Fittingly, this book's large size, dramatic black backgrounds, and bold colors leap off the page at readers, just like a monster jumping out of a closet. Based on a traditional Brazilian poem, the story looks at the many possibilities created by the birth of a monster: "either it's a faraway-in-the-forests monster, or…it's an under-your-bed monster." For each set of choices there is a dead-end option ("If it eats you, that's that."), and an option that leads to two more possibilities. Following a series of wild twists, in which a principal is eaten and a kitchen girl dumps porridge on a monster's head, the tale comes full circle to the birth of a new monster and the original set of possibilities. Bright colors and a wild variety of fonts burst out from each page, and the potential scariness of the monster is tempered by its round body, buck teeth, and fuzzy hair. Various colors, textured fabrics, and other materials fill in the cartoon line drawings. Tiny leaves create the bushes and grass, the monster's hair is full of swirls, and the porridge contains lumps. With its zany humor, skillful timing of page turns, and over-the-top story line, this is an engaging tale that children will respond to and request again and again.—Suzanne Myers Harold, Multnomah County Library System, Portland, ORCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.