Jill N. Book Review #2

Numeroff, Laura. (2002). Laura Numeroff’s 10-Step Guide to Living with Your Monster. New York: Laura


Geringer Books.

Do you want a monster? Well this book tells you everything you need to know about bringing home your pet monster! From choosing your monster to tucking him in at night, you will be a well-informed monster owner after reading this book!

I thought this book was a very clever way to make monsters into something relatable and familiar—Numeroff makes taking care of a monster seem like taking care of a pet, which makes them seem less intimidating. I also enjoyed the “step” aspect of the story—it uses counting without being a math book.

An activity that you could do with this book would be to have each child create a “monster” using various art supplies, like tissue paper, pompoms, glitter, paint, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, etc. Then, they could go through the ten steps with their monster. In the classroom, you could set up stations for each step and do them each separately (or maybe two per day). It would be easy to set up a pretend vet’s office, have the kids name their monsters, make monster food, make a monster obstacle course, a pretend gas station, training camp, music center, bath time, and a bedtime station. The students would love to do these activities, and they would hopefully be less intimidated by the idea of monsters!

Stein, David Ezra. (2007). Monster Hug. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Two monsters wake up and start their day together. They play baseball, hide-and-seek, they splash and make art, they play games, eat and make music, and then their parents send them to bed! In a day full of adventure, these monsters don’t miss a thing!

This would be a really fun opportunity to have students write their own stories. They could start with waking up in the morning, and then draw and write all the things they would like to do during the day. It would help increase literacy and text to illustration connections, and the kids would have to draw pictures to help elaborate on their text. Then, the class could have a story sharing event, where the parents are invited to listen to the students share their work. It would be a wonderful unit that would build confidence and help the students practice their communication skills through writing and speaking.

Regan, Dian Curtis. (2009). Monster Baby. New York: Clarion Books.

When the Olivers find a basket on their doorstep, they decide to take in the baby and adopt it. Then they find out that the baby is a monster! Olly grows very quickly and learns some important life lessons, and he and his family meet some new neighbors whose daughter is a perfect match for Olly!

One fun activity for students to do after reading this book would be to write a tall tale. The story could be included as part of a larger tall tale unit, and the students could each write a tall tale, making themselves into monsters or any unbelievable character. Goals for this unit would be to use proper grammatical structure, conventions of storytelling, and telling a tall tale as though it is true. It would also be fun to act the stories out, creating costumes and props, to help the students more completely portray their ideas. Students could take inspiration from Olly and other tall tale characters that they study during the unit. The plays could be recorded and then turned into a class DVD of tall tale plays.

Emberley, Rebecca, Adrian and Ed. (2009). There Was an Old Monster. New York: Orchard Books.

This story is modeled on There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly. It is a fun new interpretation of a classic children’s story. A monster decides to eat some pretty disgusting things, and in the end, there is a surprise. It is set to music on www.scholastic.com/oldmonster and the song is performed by the author’s daughter.

The first activity that students can do with this book involves music. You could bring in instruments like wood blocks, maracas, castanets, and other rhythm instruments for the kids to use to play along with the song. Also, you could bring in old coffee containers and make them into big “feet” and the students can use them to stomp around during the song. This would get the kids up and moving during the story and allow them to express themselves freely. Second, you could do a story retelling activity, in which you provide a paper with all of the animals in the story, but they are out of order. The students could color and cut out the pictures, and then glue them on construction paper in order. Again, this story makes monsters something fun and non-threatening for kids to interact with.

Willems, Mo. (2005). Leonardo the Terrible Monster. New York: Hyperion Books.

Leonardo is a monster, but the other monsters are so much better than him. He can’t scare anyone, not even the most pitiful, sad kid around. Then, Leonardo comes up with another plan: he won’t be a terrible monster anymore. He’ll try something new.

A great activity to use with this book is to do a lesson on friendship. You can read the story as an introduction, and then do some video modeling where the kids watch appropriate friendship strategies. Then, as a class, they can generate a chart, with one side for good friends and one side for not-so-nice friends. The students can fill in the characteristics that fit on either side of the chart, and then they can read the story again, this time identifying the nice things that Leonardo does. This will promote social development and help students understand social rules and norms.