A MONSTER IS EATING THIS BOOK

It’s going to be hard, but keep the giggles down. Don’t wake the monster up!

This is “no ordinary book. // You see, inside this book lives a monster…so we have to be VERY CAREFUL.” But not to worry—a group of friendly, neon guides teaches readers to become monster experts. Ironically, the guides themselves look a lot like monsters; some have a single eye, while others have horns, scales, or long legs. But when the narrators accidentally awaken the sleeping monster, words begin to disappear from the book’s pages—a wide-awake monster is a very hungry monster that eats words. Will the narrators (and readers) be able to finish the book? Quickly, the guides stuff the monster full of random words so it will leave their book alone. The monster, an ominous shadow puppet wolf with sharp teeth, hovers over the anxious guides and gobbles up most, but not all, of the word treats. At last, the shadow softens and the dangerous teeth disappear to reveal the monster’s message and the book’s punchline (hint: The monster isn’t nearly as frightening as the narrators had anticipated). Visual humor and brightly colored monsters set against uncluttered backgrounds make this a good read-aloud. Beginning readers might also enjoy creating their own messages from the words offered to the monster. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A whimsical metanarrative turns a pleasantly scary monster into readers’ new best friend.