Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Who Is Your Favorite Monster, Mama?

Barbara Shook Hazen Who is Your Favorite Monster, Mama?; illus. by Maryann Kovalski. 29pp/Hyperion Books for Children 2006 ISBN 0-7868-1810-7 $21/99 (Primary)

What would you do if your monster mama appeared to love your monster brother and sister more than she loved you? Harry, the middle child in this monster menagerie, feels just this way. Hazen adds to her growing collection of wonderful stories for children with this rhyming collection of quirky words, which give insight into the life of a monster family. Readers will delight in the monsterized version of life found in this book, as Harry lays his head on a pillow slab and eats frosted fly pie for dinner. Even if young readers must listen to the story instead of reading it for themselves, they will still be able to enjoy Kovalski’s imaginative and entertaining artwork, which utilizes sketchy outlines and shading to give the appearance of a dark underground dwelling for the monster family.

Chelsea Bonta, BGSU student

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