Making a scene. Making a mess. Playing outside. Brushing those wobbly little baby teeth. Your toddler puts up a fight over everything.
Tired of those tantrums? Maybe knowing that little monsters also have to do these things will change her tune. Yep, your preschooler will find out who else does those things when you read “Even Monsters…” by A.J. Smith together.
Let’s say you don’t like to get up in the morning. You’re grumpy and you roar about it. You know that monsters make ferocious roars, too, but did you realize that even monsters have to get out of bed? They also have to put on clean clothes every day, they have to eat nutritious meals, and they have to clean up and comb their, um, fur.
Leaving the house in the morning might make you snarl, so imagine if you were a monster! Yep, even they have to go to school, of course, because how else would they learn monster things? Somebody has to teach a monster his ABCs, drawing, math, science, and manners.
All this — getting up, getting ready, playing nice — makes you grumble, but you’re quiet compared to a monster.
Everybody knows monsters grumble, but monsters also know how to have fun. For instance, did you know that after school is a monster’s favorite time of day?
Monsters also understand that they must clean their plates and eat what’s in front of them. And when their mothers tell them it’s time for bed — guess what else? When the lights are out and it’s time for sleeping, monsters have a great big secret.
Yes, there’s something that even monsters don’t wanna…
Tantrum time should be tamed when toddlers have this book in their hands because Smith speaks to the hearts of the littlest readers. Accompanied by an almost-hidden cootie in each scene, Glubb and Skeebu (the creatures’ names, if you look closely) are mischievous and cuddly, pretending to be fierce, though they’re really not. That means that these monsters won’t cause nightmares for sensitive children.
Best of all, if you’re the adult reading this book aloud, Smith didn’t forget you: nearly each page has details that will make you smile, too, and lots of grown-ups-will-notice jokes. And that, of course, makes “Even Monsters…” a book you and your 2-to-5-year-old will wanna read.
“Even Monsters…” by A.J. Smith [32 pages, 2014, $16.99].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
