My Friend the Monster

by Eleanor Taylor

Louis and his family have just moved into their new house, full of big empty rooms and dusty corners to play in. But on Louis' first night, he hears a strange noise coming from under his bed, and is shocked to find a monster! Fortunately, this monster isn't scary, and when Louis takes him to the park the next day, he helps Louis make friends with the other kids in his new neighborhood. Featuring an adorable family of foxes and one very large, very green one-eyed monster, this is a great story about new places and learning to make friends.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Monsters

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 22, 2008

About the author

Eleanor Taylor graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2011 after studying communication art and design. Her clients include the New York Times, the Guardian, Smithsonian, the Wall Street Journal, and New Statesman. She was short-listed for the Jerwood Drawing Prize and won the prestigious Association of Illustrators Prize for Illustration. She works from her home by the sea in Hastings, England.

Reviews

[retrieverfever · Rating 2 out of 5]

Little kid book

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gentle but not especially memorable story of a friendly monster. Young fans of Monsters, Inc. might enjoy.

[Sumer Duplechain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute twist on scary monsters!

[Lydia.walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Friend the Monster is the story of Louis; a boy who has just moved into a new house and in the night finds a monster under his bed. Fortunately, this monster is friendly. I think that as a book for children this opens the door to potential for mean monsters under the bed a little too wide. Louis and the monster become friends and work together to overcome obstacles. The monster helps Louis find his way to the park; Louis helps the monster learn to smile. When the pair returns home, their bedroom is decorated and Mom has somehow provided two beds, on which they have a jumping contest. When we consider Fletcher’s description of an ending in What a Writer Needs, we find that this text leaves a lot to be desired. The writer seems to be employing the ambiguous ending, albeit without the intention of doing so. It seems as though Taylor was writing a book, and then she wasn’t. There seemed no purpose in tying up loose ends, or in not tying them. While this book could serve as an example of what may happen when we decide to be friends with someone different from ourselves; I imagine it would only be successful if used as a jumping board for children to use in the creation of their ending. Taylor certainly doesn’t provide one to you here.

[The Library Lady · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am sure someone out there is going to just love this one--apparently some reviewer did since I bought it :D

But it is treacly enough to be a Joan Anglund Walsh "a friend is someone who likes you" sort of book, with a plot that could have been written by a kindergartener.

Stick with "There's a Nightmare In My Closet" by Mercer Meyer for a monster story with a lovable monster, a happy ending and a genuine story.

[Levi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty fun book about a kid who meets a monster in his new house. Mom thinks I will like it more when I have an attention span for pages with more text on them, or prefer a book that isn't just about trucks. I recommend it more for kids who are good with more words on the page.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the kids quiet and gather extra close, its probably a good book. This book is great if you are trying to take the scariness out of monsters. This monster isn't scary, but scared. Well written and entertaining.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Little Louis is exploring the new house that he and his family moved into, he finds it big and dusty. Later that night he discovers a monster living under his bed. Louis and the monster soon becomes fast friends, proving that all monsters under one's bed aren't scary.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy who moves into a new home finds a monster (a scared one) in his room. They become friends and learn from each other.

[Tina B · Rating 4 out of 5]

"monster under the bed, making friends"

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

24 months - Not an overly spectacular book but a quick enjoyable library read.

[Andrea Renfrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I review kids books with my child. My Official Review can be found here: http://anakalianwhims.wordpress.com/2...

[Robert Musser · Rating 4 out of 5]

My two year old loves having this book read to him.

[Irina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to teach friendship to students. This book talks about how the main character helps the monster make friends.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A monster afraid of monsters? Crazy! Cute book!

[Maureen M]

This picture book is fictional; targeting ages 5 to 8 years of age. The story is about moving to new places, friends and creating friendships. The author uses personification to apply this concept. This picture book is a colorfully illustrated story that is written in a way that is engaging and endearing to some children. The content focuses on the S/E skills and concepts: develop relationships and social skills with peers and adults. I would use this picture book during a Circle Time activity: Word of the Week (the word) “Friends” would be introduced to the children early in the week for direct and indirect discussions, and repeated use of the word throughout the day applicable to their experiences and to maintain exposure of the concept in the children’s thoughts.