Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli
PreSchool-K—Grown-ups know that kids generally don't like eating broccoli. Apparently, neither do monsters. Sure, they like tractors, rocket ships, and boulders. Only don't give them artichokes, lima beans, or anything green. When the "monsters" eat giant maple trees, though, they discover they have been fooled into eating the dreaded broccoli. The next spread reveals that the monsters are children who have fallen for that age-old adult trick of calling broccoli "trees." Not only that, but they also discover that "trees" are so delicious, they beg for "Another helping, please." For the most part, the rhyming text flows nicely when read aloud but it stumbles when the monsters repeatedly shout, "Fum,/foe,/fie,/fee,/monsters don't eat broccoli." The gouache illustrations are bright and textured; they pop off the page. However, the monsters and the backgrounds are done in similar hues so that the creatures sometimes blend into the scenery. Among a crowded field, this title doesn't stand out. Recommend Mitchell Sharmat'sGregory, the Terrible Eater(Scholastic, 1984) or Kenneth Oppel'sThe King's Taster(HarperCollins, 2009) instead.—Laura Lutz, formerly at Queens Borough Public Library, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.