I Need My Monster is an unique story. In many children's books, the monster is depicted as scary and unloveable. This book is different and I loved the way Amanda Noll wrote about this little boys love for his monster that resides under his bed. The main character is looking for a replacement monster because his monster has gone fishing. Numerous other monsters appear underneath his bed but none of them are quite like Gabe, his monster. This book can be used in literacy lessons to teach dialogue. The main character has various conversations between monsters who are auditioning to be his own. The author uses descriptive words when using dialogue to convey how the characters are feeling as they speak. My 3rd grade class really enjoyed this picture book, and the illustrations are vibrant which grabbed their attention. When the boy finds a note from his monster saying he's gone away for a week, he must interview new monsters to live under his bed and scare him appropriately. Many different monsters come -- some with claws, bows, and unusually long tongues -- but none of them compare to Gabe and how he scares.With wonderful pictures, vivid colours, and brilliant use of text, this book is sure to hold readers' attention until the very last page.For storytime, I'd read this to children ages 5+. It's a bit too long and scary for anyone younger, but I think this is appropriate for a storytime dealing with feeling brave and what scares us.
What do You think about I NeedMy Monster (2009)?
Funny story of a kid who misses the monster under his bed when the monster goes on vacation.
—karli
