One Monster After Another

by Mercer Mayer (Illustrator)

Sally Ann's letter to Lucy Jane goes on a fantastic journey when a "Stamp-Collecting Trollusk" steals it from the mailbox.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Juvenile, Monsters

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Mercer Mayer is an American children's author and illustrator. He has published over 300 books, using a wide range of illustrative styles. Mayer is best known for his Little Critter and Little Monster series of books.

Reviews

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a child. I can remember my babysitter refusing to re-read it multiple times a night. Its a very fun story with lovely illustrations. The story is about a letter being sent from one friend to another and the letter's journey while, stamp collecting monsters, paper eating monsters, and monster eating monsters all get in the way. The book was out of print for several decades so I'm glad to see it is once again in print.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may have been the most intriguing book of my childhood and I would love to get my hands on a copy now that I'm all growed-up. I suspect that I only saw half of the things in each picture; we'd pore over every page for minutes on end, encouraging each other to find what we saw and we did this with alarming regularity. Yet, I'm willing to wager that I won't recognize even half the hidden treasures in each illustration.
Also, I still worry about the safety of my letters once they leave the post office.

[Andrea Renfrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Mayer book is far superior to his more famous ones and I don't understand why it doesn't get more attention. I just love it and so do my kids.

[Luann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sally Ann puts a letter to her best friend Lucy Jane in the mailbox, but a Stamp-Collecting Trollusk steals it before the mailman can pick it up. The story then follows the letter as it is snapped up by a Letter-Eating Bombanat, grabbed by a Bombanat-Munching Grumley, sucked up by a Wild-'n'Windy Typhoonigator, etc., etc. A great one for reading aloud with fun word choices including many author-created words. I also enjoyed Mayer's fun detailed illustrations.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVE this book, it is everything I would ever want a childrens story to be... It has amazing artwork, a crazy story, made up words, and of course wonderful dry wit "nothing ever happens around here."

Everyone with children and even those without should read this book!!!!

[Jonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites. Beware the typhoon-a-gator.

[Mir · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little girl's letter is stolen by one monster after another but eventually reaches its intended recipient.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff. Marvelous illustrations.

[Emma Eiram · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve had this cute little book on my TBR for a long time after seeing it recommended by someone on Tim Ferriss’ podcast. It seemed an odd thing for an adult to recommend a childrens book, and I honestly still don’t understand why, but I must admit that the author played with words in a way that was pretty cute and clever :) Not one where I’m like “I must save this to read to my children one day” though.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another book that I can’t believe doesn’t have more attention. It’s not only a favorite of all the kids in my house, but it’s one of my favorites to read. Its moody, engaging illustrations add to the whimsy, silly, made up words in the book, all about a letter’s trek from the sender to the recipient. It’s nonsense and nothing like the real travels but it’s SO MUCH FUN. I want to be a narrator just for this book. 😁

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange and silly circular tale filled with silly imaginary creatures. Sally Ann sends a letter to her friend, but before the letter is picked up by the mailman, a stamp-collecting creature steals the letter setting off a long journey of the letter.

[T]

Help! Please. I’m looking for a book much lustrated like this when I was a kid. It’s a book about monsters eating children. It was kind of morbid for its time, it I’m trying to find it. Please lease help. Around the 1970-1980’s

Balfenor@yahoo.com

[Teresa Thompson Arcangel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually include books that I read to my children on Goodreads, but this book is truly exceptional. The artwork is fabulous. My sons begged me to read it so many times that I still remember the story very well, even after nearly 40 years.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have a very old copy of this at home because my husband was obsessed with this when he was a kid, and I can see why! They illustrations are so fun, as are the monster names. The kids keep asking to read it.

[Amilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delighted myself and my boys while in the waiting room at the doctor's office. I had no idea Mercer Mayer had books that weren't about the fluffy hamster things.

[The Transmuted Tree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red 2nd

[Anne Marie Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the illustrations and the humour within the pictures. Story was fun. Breaking up reading with an occasional children's book is also fun.

[Kati · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have vague memories of reading this story as a child, but was recently reminded by a friend. So I borrowed it from my local library for a re-read. A fun, funny little story.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for nostalgia alone but this book also is so good, funny, and has amazing illustrations that have stuck with me since i was a kid!!

[Maria Gable · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very silly book full of made up names and outrageous happenings. We love Mercer Mayer.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my absolute favourite Childrens' book EVER! My copy has been read to the point that it is held together by tape. I began reading it to my son shortlhy after we brought him home from the hospital and now it's one of his favourites.
Mercer Meyer creates fatastic, whimsical characters. The typhonigator is one of my personal favourites , but readers of this book won't soon forget the Paper munching Yalapapus, the Trolusk collecting Grithix or the Letter Eating Bombanat. The creatures are so determined that I almost want them to get the letter.
The hard cover is worth the bajillion dollars it costs (it was over $60 last time I looked, but I'm a Canadian and we get ripped when it comes to book prices), but if you can't afford or find it buy the paperback and get ready for a great adventure for you and your favourite kid!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great imaginative monster book by Mercer Mayer, this one is a story about a girl who writes a letter to her friend. It gets intercepted by all sorts of monsters along the way. Another reviewer mentioned that it seems Mayer is channeling Seuss with all the crazy made-up words in this book and I'll have to agree with her. I like that he included a dodo in the background of a couple pages of the book, in addition to the Stamp Collecting Trollusk, Letter-Eating Bombanat, and the Wild-'n-Windy Typhoonigator. Recommended for kids aged 5+, 5 stars.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one you have to be careful with. The pictures are kind of crazy, and that's what makes it so good. But I could see them sort of bothering the super imaginative kids out there. None of the monsters are actually mean, they just want to eat the paper or steal the stamp from the envelope... so really it's all in good fun. The pictures are AMAZING. If you run across a copy of this book- buy it, it's hard to find!

[Camden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morgan discoverd this on a recent visit to my Mom's. What memories! The stamp-collecting trollusk steals Sally Anne's letter and then ensues the hunt by other paper-eating, letter-munching monsters. Or monster-munching monsters like the wild-n-windy Typhoon-a-gator. Love it.

Too bad it's out of print and starts at $40 for a used paperback. Hard back in good shape are around $65!

[Julianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

My niece's family LOVES this children's book, so I picked it up and read it to myself. It was OK. Later I read it aloud to my mom. What a difference! It definitely needs to be shared! The pictures of all the monsters are great, but the names of the monsters are the best! Get this book and read it to a child.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows a letter's fantastic journey as it is intercepted again and again by various monsters on its way to its destination. The monsters are reminiscent of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and the story is funny and fantastic.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite books as a child. Though at the time I was more interested in the fantastic illustrations of monsters than the story itself. But upon reading it again as an adult I can see why i loved this book so much when i was a kid.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is about a girl named Sally Ann who wrote a letter to her friend Lucy Jane, but it gets intercepted by a bunch of monsters a long the way.
I love the illustrations. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens to Lucy Jane's letter.

[Christopher Clough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of top 10 favorite books of all time. Great story, amazing illustrations...almost the perfect children's book. Reading my childhood copy of this to my nieces, with crayon scrawl courtesy of my little sister (now 37, yikes!), was amazing...and they love it as much as I did.

[Nathaniel Hardman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before the Little Critter books, Mercer Mayer wrote and illustrated a few books that are absolutely beautiful. The pictures in this book are so detailed and so imaginative, that it's just a delight to read (especially with a little kid).