Illustrated in full color. Anthony always does everything he's supposed to, from eating his spinach to wearing his raincoat--even when it's not raining! Then one day, Anthony cracks from the strain and, with one hiccup, becomes a horrible monster who rants, raves, and won't wear his raincoat no matter how nicely he's asked. When he turns back into a little boy, Anthony discovers that his family and friends still love him, because whether he's a perfect kid or a perfect monster, he's always perfectly himself.
Civil society can sometimes require too many rules and demand too high of standards for people to function as real human beings. Anthony tried to be perfect in every way, but, he felt that people didn’t like him. After he changed his behavior, some people changed their opinion of him, and his mother still loved him unconditionally. He was true to himself.
This was a very good "I Can Read it All By Myself Beginner Books" book. A little boy is so used to everyone telling him he's perfect. He does everything he's told to do, without argument. He never fusses or gets mad etc. But sometimes it's hard to keep feeling like your perfect and the other kids laugh at you. So he sees a monster on tv and wishes he could do some of the things that monster does and sure enough the next morning he wakes up and he doesn't feel like himself he's cranky and just doesn't feel like doing what others want of him. In the end he learns that its okay to be mad, sad, and happy as long as you are yourself.