Jane Yolan, Illustrated by Kelly Murphy
This is the perfect sequel to Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters, which was published two years ago. The two books are very similar, with fantastic illustrations, cute rhyming text, and hilarious little monster activities.
This might not be exactly right, but it seemed to me that Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters was a day in the life of monsters - a weekday, to be specific. This sequel appears to give us a look into a monster weekend. And once again, it's super fun to see their activities aren't so different from ours.
Monsters are whooping it up at the park, playing ball, taking turns on the slide, and jumping rope. Much like humans at the park, although they need less equipment, using just their freakish monster arms for the ropes. They have picnics in the park, teeter-totter and ride their bikes. Of course, they all line up for monster-sicles when the cart comes around.
I think this book series is actually a great tool for helping children get over their fear of monsters. This is an easy way to show that monsters aren't creepy dudes that hide under the bed. These monsters smile, hug, and play silly games in the park. The only growling here is a little fight between siblings over the water fountain.
Happily, there are enough monster-specific details included, so the book is also equally humorous. One large monster waits on the teeter totter while a pile of teeny monsters help each other pile on the other end. The three-headed monster on the tricycle is sporting three safety helmets. And one of the treats dispensed from the monster ice cream cart is a popsicle covered with tongues and eyeballs.
Review copy provided by Candlewick Press.
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