Crankenstein
There’s plenty to be cranky about out there in the world, even—or maybe especially—if you’re a kid.  As envisioned by Berger (Martha Doesn’t Share!, 2010) and Santat (Sidekicks, 2011), such events are enough to produce a literal monster.  Faced with the slings and arrows of early wake-up calls, miserly Halloween candy givers, melting Popsicles, long lines, cough syrup, and bedtime, the fearsome Crankenstein can only respond with a baleful look and a groaning “MEHHRRRR!”  The only possible cure for such terror?  Laughter, naturally, which comes along with play and friendship and puts a total, if temporary, kibosh on the crankiness.  The premise plants an amusing seed, which Santat’s art brings to full, glowing life, in giant two-page spreads alternately blazing with or darkened by appropriate digital hues.  The size of the faces matches the size of the emotions, and Santat’s gift with exaggerated expressions ensures that this monster, in the tradition of all the greats, inspires sympathy as well as fear. Preschool-Grade 1. --Jesse Karp