I need my monster by Amanda Noll; illustrated by Howard McWilliam

A little boy goes to bed one night and finds a note from his monster Gabe saying he has gone fishing - how will he go to sleep without Gabe under the bed scratching his nails and gnashing his teeth?  He sneaks under the bed and quietly scratches on the floor in the hopes of attracting a new monster to cover for Gabe who will be gone for a whole week!  He soon gets a visit from a monster named Herbert, but will Herbert be as scary as Gabe?

It is a very rare thing to find a book about bedtime that has monsters under the bed as a good thing - especially one that handles the situation with class and humour.  I discovered this book when I was visiting a school and the class was watching the story being read on the big screen courtesy of YouTube and I couldn't get over how much pleasure they were all getting out of the story.  This was a mixed class of boys and girls aged nine to eleven and they were all watching in rapt attention and laughing out loud at the funny parts (of which there are many!).

This is one of those great picture books to share with older children who have not lost their sense of wonder (or sense of humour).  The children watching the book were aged 8 - 10 and they were completely absorbed in the story - as was I when i sat down and started watching.  I have read this book to some of my colleagues as well and had their rapt attention for the entire book.  If you are after a shared read where you can practice you deep and scary voices then this is for you.  

I loved this book, and if I had any children of the right age to buy for this would definitely be on my Christmas shopping list!  Hopefully this dynamic writing/illustrating duo have only just started their collaborating careers because the pictures and words are a perfect match.

If you like this book then try:

• My friend is sad by Mo Willems
• The splendid spotted snake by Betty Ann Schwartz & Alexander Wilensky
• Elephants cannot dance! by Mo Willems
• A is for musk ox by Erin Cabatingan & Matthew Myers
• New socks by Bob Shea
• Stomp! a dinosaur follow-the-leader story by Ruth Paul
• The children who loved books by Peter Carnavas
• No T.Rex in the library by Toni Buzzeo; ilustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa
• Don't let the pigeon drive the bus by Mo Willems
• Click, clack, moo: Cows that type by Doreen Cronin
• Tadpole's promise by Jeanne Willis; illustrated by Tony Ross
• No, David! by David Shannon
• Croc and bird by Alexis Deacon

Reviewed by Brilla