This week, I have chosen I Need My Monster for Perfect Picture Book Friday.
Written by Amanda Noll and Illustrated by Howard McWilliam
Publisher: Flashlight Press 2009
Ages: 4-8
Themes: Monsters, Humor, Imagination
Opening Lines: Tonight, when I looked under the bed for my monster, I found this note instead. “Gone fishing. Back in a week. —Gabe” What was I going to do? I needed a monster under my bed. How was I supposed to get to sleep if my monster was gone?
Synopsis: (from Flashlight Press) I Need My Monster is a unique monster-under-the-bed story for all monster-loving kids. The perfect balance of giggles and shivers will keep you under your covers, and you’ll soon be sleeping soundly.
Resources: Comprehensive Lesson Plan at Empowering Writers, Activities from Flashlight Press, How to Make Your Own Monster, Monster Maker by Think Bank
Why I Like This Book: First off, I love the idea of a monster named Gabe. It’s so un-monsterly. And, the idea of a kid who NEEDS his monster is very creative. Ethan tries to replace Gabe, so that he can go to sleep. But it’s hard to replace a monster that has such wonderful characteristics…ragged breathing, nose-whistling, crabbling, uncut claws, and spooky green ooze. As you can see, the language is perfect for a monster book. Don’t you love the word crabbling? Although polite, Ethan turns down several monsters who would really like to sub in for Gabe. They aren’t quite up to his “monster” standards. The dialog between Ethan and those “applying for the job” is hilarious. . A plethora of well-timed action verbs, along with reach-out-and-grab-you illustrations, keep the anticipation at a monster level. You will NEED to turn the pages:-) The fact that Gabe is so picky about his monster and its level of scariness will have kids giggling, which will hopefully help them deal with their own monsters under the bed. And let’s face it, some kids just love monsters no matter where they are. In that case, this book NEEDS to be added to their collection of monster books.
Extras: Visit Christie Wright Wild‘s blog for an interview with the author, Amanda Noll.
Susanna Leonard Hill features Perfect Picture Book Friday on her blog. This is a wonderful resource if you are wondering what books to give as gifts, needing material for a lesson, and mainly just perfect for those who love to read picture books. Here is a list of books by category. This is very handy for finding books for lessons in the classroom, or for finding books on a particular topic to discuss with your children at home. Each book listed has a link to a review and information about that book. There is also an alphabetical list if you scroll down past the category list.
Penny Parker Klostermann 
This book had me at the first line. Love the concept. Adding it to my list. Love your choice of books for PPBF!
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Thanks, Darshana. I love the humor….life just gets too serious without it.
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I really want to read this book! A monster named Gabe that went fishing!! The kid needs his monser under his bed?!? This is a great story idea 🙂 Thanks for telling us about it!
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Have fun reading it, Erik! I’ll bet you’ll want to read it twice :•)
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Ditto to everyone who loved the cover art. That totally drew me in. Can’t wait to read it! Nice to meet you in the PPBF crowd!
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Nice to meet you, too. I hope you love the book.
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Great cover art and I love the sound of the story. I can’t wait to see what the monsters applying for the job look like!
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You will love the monsters…you’ll want one of your own :•)
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Hi Penny,
Great pick for PPBF!
I LOVE monster books…especially funny ones…because they really do help little ones who are monster-anxious.
This one is so creative…the child NEEDS the monster to go to sleep…kids will get a big kick out of that. 🙂
Your resources are great!
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Enjoy! There can never be enough monster books!
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This looks great — perhaps it will counteract the monster fears so many kids have! I love the idea of him not being able to sleep without his monster! Thank you for sharing.
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I hope you get a chance to read it Beth. It’s delightful.
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The cover and the first line have me hooked. Thanks for the recommendation.
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You will really be hooked once you read it.
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I have been wanting to check this book out for a while now. I love Howard McWilliam’s illustrations in When a Dragon Moves In and this one looks just as adorable. Thanks!
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Oh…I want to read that one! I’m hoping my library gets it soon.
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This is another one of those “why didn’t I think of that” moments. Great selection Penny. I absolutely love that a kid loves and misses his monster. What a great story for children. So creative. Glad you shared it this week!
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Thanks, Patricia. I think you will absolutely love the book.
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What a unique twist. I love it! That cover is fab too. My kids would really benefit from a book like that.
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The illustrations are phenomenal. I hope your kids like it.
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I love the front cover illustration! One I will definitely have to check out.
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I’d love to hear what you think. Thanks for reading my review.
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What a cool idea for a story. Gabe sounds gruesome but fun! I can think of lots of kids who would love this one!
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Gabe is gruesome & he’s pretty proud of it :•)
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Wonderful book, Penny! So glad to have it on the list! It’s such a creative twist on the whole kid and monster idea. So well done! Thanks so much for adding it to the list!
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My niece is a teacher & she introduced it to me. Her second graders asked to hear it over and over again.
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We are on a monster roll right now. We just read “Bedtime Monster” (yay Heather!) and “There Are Monsters Everywhere” (Mercer Mayer). It looks like we’ll be expanding our monster collection.
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It’s a really fun book! I’ll have to read those two, also.
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Great book! If you’re interested in an interview with the author, Amanda Noll appears on my High Five feature. Check it out!
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Oh! Thanks Christie. I updated my post with a link to the interview. Hope you don’t mind!
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I just checked this one out at the library a few weeks ago. It is a wonderful book! The cover illo is what grabbed me at first, but the story inside was just as delightful. I’m so glad that it is now on the list!
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I know! It’s so great. Glad you liked it, too.
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