Maddie's Monster Dad
Ages 4-8 Maddie loves monsters, but more than anything she loves spending time with her dad. Unfortunately, Maddie s dad becomes too busy to help her draw creepy, hairy monsters with lots of eyeballs or to bake his famous Glob cookies with her. So, she takes matters into her own hands and creates a new Monster Dad out of paper and lots of tape. After dressing as a mummy, Maddie helps her dad realize how much she misses him. Maddie s imagination comes alive through the text and illustrations. Although this is a perfect Halloween read-aloud, it will bring smiles to students year round. Teachers may incorporate it into lessons on monsters, fantasy, creative writing, and the like. At the end of the book, Maddie decides she wants a puppy and builds a scary one. Students may also be inspired to build something of their own. Brenda Rogers, Educational Reviewer, Kent, Washington. Recommended. --Library Media Connection, January/February Advanced ReviewsAges 4-8 Maddie and her father love to do scary things (no mention of mom). They play Hide-and-Eek, bake Glob cookies, and draw scary monster pictures. However, Dad has been too busy lately to play, so the child decides to create her own Monster Dad, using her new Build-a-Beast kit. After cutting, pasting, taping, and coloring her creation, she claps together two cutouts of lightning bolts and the monster comes alive. And he is HUGE. They can t play Hide-and-Eek, because he is too big to hide. And his cookies are hard as rocks. He can t draw; he only scribbles. When they decide to wrap themselves in toilet paper and scare her real dad, Monster Dad dissolves into a toy monster. But, as luck would have it, Dad decides to take a break from his work to play with Maddie. When he says no to her request for a puppy, she hauls out her Build-a-Beast kit again. The green-tinged illustrations on spacious white backgrounds are just right. Everything seems scary but not frightening. Maddie and her father have pinking-sheared bangs, Maddie has sneakers that growl and howl, and the monster drawings they make are really funnier than scary. The text and illustrations work together like Boris and Karloff, and the layouts are inspired (some are done from a ghostly viewpoint, flying above the scene below). --School Library Journal, Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME