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Leonardo #1

Leonardo, the Terrible Monster

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Leonardo is truly a terrible monster--terrible at being a monster that is. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to frighten anyone. Determined to succeed, Leonardo sets himself to training and research. Finally, he finds a nervous little boy, and scares the tuna salad out of him! But scaring people isn't quite as satisfying as he thought it would be. Leonardo realizes that he might be a terrible, awful monster--but he could be a really good friend.

48 pages, Hardcover

First published August 2, 2005

33 people are currently reading
4902 people want to read

About the author

Mo Willems

265 books4,151 followers
#1 New York Times Bestselling author and illustrator Mo Willems is best known for his Caldecott Honor winning picture books Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny: a cautionary tale.

In addition to such picture books as Leonardo the Terrible Monster, Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, and Time to Pee, Mo has created the Elephant and Piggie books, a series of early readers, and published You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons, an annotated cartoon journal sketched during a year-long voyage around the world in 1990-91.

The New York Times Book Review called Mo “the biggest new talent to emerge thus far in the 00's."

Mo’s work books have been translated into a myriad of languages, spawned animated shorts and theatrical musical productions, and his illustrations, wire sculpture, and carved ceramics have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the nation.

Mo began his career as a writer and animator for television, garnering 6 Emmy awards for his writing on Sesame Street, creating Nickelodeon's The Off-Beats, Cartoon Network’s Sheep in the Big City and head-writing Codename: Kids Next Door.

He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his family.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 762 reviews
Profile Image for Sara.
1,802 reviews563 followers
June 7, 2025
هیولاهایی که دوستای خوبی میشن>>>دوستایی که تبدیل به هیولای میشن
ولی واقعا جفتش رو باید به بچه ها توضیح و یاد داد.
۳.۱۴۰۴
Profile Image for Ronyell.
990 reviews339 followers
January 5, 2013
I have been reading Mo Willems’ books for a long time and I have recently stumbled upon his book called “Leonardo the Terrible Monster!” “Leonardo the Terrible Monster” is a children’s book by Mo Willems which is about a small monster named Leonardo who tries to be a scary monster, but cannot do so effectively, so he tries to find a child that he could easily scare. “Leonardo the Terrible Monster” is a truly brilliant book that children everywhere will easily love for many years!

Leonardo was a terrible monster since he could not scare anyone and he did not have distinguishing features like Tony, who has thousands of teeth and Eleanor, who is so big. One day, Leonardo got an idea to get the most scared kid to scare and finally, Leonardo found a kid named Sam who was a huge scaredy –cat. Leonardo then creeps up behind Sam and…

Oh man! I never thought that such a book with the title “Leonardo the Terrible Monster” would actually turn out to be a hilarious and cute book! Mo Willems has done a brilliant job at both writing and illustrating this book that it has become an instant favorite on my “Mo Willems” bookshelf! The first thing about this book that surprised me was the cover of this book as the title looks like it is written like those introductions in the old western films, especially when the top part of the cover says “Your Pal Mo Willems Presents.” I also have to admit that the title surprised me since I thought that when it said that Leonardo is a terrible monster, it meant that he was the most ruthless monster to ever to be seen, but it turns out that he was called “terrible” because he cannot scare anything. Mo Willems makes this book simple yet creative at the same time as there might be about five to ten words per page, but the story is still hilarious enough to catch children’s interests. I also thought that the message at the end of this book was really cute as friendship is more important than trying to prove to people to be something that you are not. What I really loved about this book were the illustrations themselves as they are totally hilarious and my favorite images were of Leonardo’s monster friends, especially the image of Eleanor as we only see her huge legs since she is so big! I also really loved the images of Leonardo himself as he is shown being a small monster and has light olive fur and a blue tongue.

Overall, “Leonardo the Terrible Monster” is a truly hilarious book that both children and adults will enjoy for many years! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
Profile Image for Matt.
4,940 reviews13.1k followers
July 20, 2018
Mo Willems, children's author superstar, has yet another series to dazzle young readers. In this piece, we meet Leonardo, a monster who does not seem to be able to spook anyone. Vowing that he will "scare the tuna salad" out of someone, he understands a major research project and turns his sights on Sam. After a valiant effort, Leonardo thinks that he has spooked Sam, only to discover the truth. What follows is a heart-warming realisation for both Sam and Leonardo. Neo liked this story, more because he could tackle the words and laugh at the silliness found within its pages. While I am not sure if this is a full-fledged series, Neo is happy to scour the library to find more for his bedtime reading ritual.
Profile Image for Kathryn.
4,799 reviews
November 30, 2010
Another winner from Mo Willems. The fun "twist" that is explained right away is that the featured monster is "terrible" AT being a monster; he can't frighten anyone! Full of fun and "ferocious" monsters, this book is at heart a story of honoring yourself and being grateful to those friends who help us do so.
Profile Image for Ashlee Tominey.
169 reviews20 followers
October 25, 2017
Lots of fun to read aloud because you get to make monsters faces and noises, say "tuna salad" twice, and be super dramatic during the big Sam meltdown.
Profile Image for Donalyn.
Author 9 books5,996 followers
February 11, 2016
I picked this up after listening to Kristine Mraz read it during a workshop. Kids love it! Don't miss reading it aloud with kids.
Profile Image for J9.
2,289 reviews132 followers
July 2, 2013
Another love for us. Besides the fact that it's from one of our recent favorite authors, Mo Willems, the story kept the attention of my 5 yr old and preschoolers both. The pictures were cute and big, always good for a group of kids, and the idea of scaring was fresh on our minds as we've recently seen Monsters University, the movie. Maybe a level 1 reader book for young readers. Overall, it was much enjoyed.
Profile Image for Jess.
2,628 reviews74 followers
June 26, 2017
Picture book - fantasy
For preschool-primary grades

Leonardo is a terrible monster - he's just not scary enough! He finds a scaredy-cat kid to frighten, but ends up with a friend instead.

Who can resist Mo Willem's charms as an illustrator? With a few simple lines, he gives us Leonardo, a monster who teaches us both meanings of the word terrible. Instead of being scary-terrible, he's just terrible at being a monster. Leonardo is perhaps the most adorable and amusing monster in fiction, but he longs to "scare the tuna salad" out of someone, anyone! The cartoonish illustrations, shown against large expanses of lightly-colored page, show Leonardo on his quest. Oh, his careful tip-toeing! His fierce face and arm-pump of victory when he makes Sam cry! As usual with Willems, the humor is in the details, and the changes in font and color are used effectively to give emphasis to the text. Scaredy-cats and monsters alike will enjoy this story of friendship - once the adults are done hogging it.

The Horn Book's review points out the theatrical qualities of the book, which I had noticed but is completely accurate, and gives a great sense of the book and physical feel of the book. School Library Journal's review relies heavily on often unnecessary quotes from the book, and never quite manages to capture the mood of the book.
Profile Image for Lisa Vegan.
2,924 reviews1,326 followers
December 4, 2010
This is a cute book about a monster, Leonardo, who is terrible at being a monster; he can’t scare anybody. So, he does his research to find the one kid (named Sam) who he’ll be most likely to be able to scare, and goes to do that. After his attempt, he ends up changing his plans. It was very predictable (for this adult) but it was sweet.

This is a good book for young children, with very few words on all pages except for one double page spread where there are a lot of words, and in a color a bit hard to read. Funny book, and even the so-called scary monsters (Tony, Eleanor, and Hector) look relatively friendly.

I think this book has a wonderful premise, and the rather slight story was entertaining and amusing.

I liked the illustrations, even though I don’t always love this author-illustrator’s artwork. The expressiveness of the boy and monster and the layout of the pages were done very well.
Profile Image for Ana LibrariAna.
420 reviews7 followers
January 19, 2026
One of my favorite read-alouds ever! Especially the part when Sam is explaining to Leonardo that his crying didn't have anything with Leonardo's scaring him. I REALLY get into it and do it in one breath. Love it!
Profile Image for Alison Strandell.
288 reviews7 followers
June 16, 2018
Aside from Mo Willems being a picture book genius, this book it cute because it challenges readers to think about how who they are tempted to be and who they are supposed to be are sometimes different.
Profile Image for Abigail.
8,043 reviews268 followers
March 30, 2020
Leonardo was a terrible monster, not because he was terrifying, but because he wasn't, and although he searched high and low for someone to frighten, his efforts were often met with laughter, rather than fear. Then one day, after doing much investigation (market researching comes to the picture-book!), he discovers the perfect target: Sam. But when Leonardo's attack produces the effect he'd been hoping for - a tearful victim - he has a change of heart...

Chosen as one of our October selections, over in the Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is 'witches and monsters,' Mo Willems' Leonardo, the Terrible Monster definitely falls into the kinder, gentler monster-tale variety. The oversized pages, in various muted colors, boast plenty of blank space, with out-sized text and illustrations all the more prominent, as a result. This is a cute tale, with cute illustrations. I think the tall format lends itself to storytelling, particularly with younger, pre-school children. Recommended to little monsters everywhere, and to fans of Mo Willems' distinctive style.
Profile Image for Kimberly.
4,232 reviews98 followers
October 14, 2017
Fantastic!

I used this one in a monster-themed storytime on 10/10/17. This is perfect for storytime and both the kids and I enjoyed Sam's all-caps meltdown. The ending is so cute! Parents and kids all shared an "awwww."
Profile Image for Melissa.
776 reviews73 followers
November 3, 2012
Short & sweet, with both Leonardo and Sam perfect representations of what it feels like to be a little kid. Also, gotta love books with good characterization, fun word choices, and true narrative arcs, that aren't too long for storytime.
Profile Image for Morgan .
57 reviews
January 19, 2015
My 5 year old could not stop laughing at Sam's teary outburst, and has now taken to saying "I am going to scare the tuna salad out of you!"

Another gem from Mo Willems!
Profile Image for Emmy.
2,537 reviews58 followers
April 27, 2022
This was a cute book with a nice, but simple message.
26 reviews12 followers
June 29, 2017
Title: Leonardo the Terrible Monster
Author :Mo Willems
Illustrator
Category: Picturebook
Copyright Date: 2005

Estimate of age level of interest: Preschool-Grade 1
Estimate of Reading Level: Read Aloud

Brief Description
Leonardo just wants to be scary like all the other monsters! When he gets close to accomplishing his goal, he learns that people’s reactions can be different than what you’d expect.

2 characteristics of genre and how they appear in the book.
Some characteristics of a quality picturebook are purposeful design elements like typeface and empty space to support the story. The large size and vertical orientation of the book allow for empty space which enhances Leonardo's feeling of insignificance. When other monsters are described, the illustrations focus on their scary features by zooming in or placing the type around them. Each page has one word or phrase that is a different color than the other words which aids in adding intonation, either for read aloud or older students' independent reading. When Sam (the boy Leonardo tries to scare) gets angry, he lets Leonardo know how he really feels with large, block typeface that spans across two pages. It’s a huge difference to the other pages of the story which are short sentences. At first, Sam is shown alone facing the opposite direction, but as the story unfolds we see the two characters sharing space. There is also some wordplay with the multiple meanings of the word “terrible” that is both fun and helpful for developing vocabulary.

Critique of how well book fits intended audience
The book jacket says, “For audiences 3 through 36,” and there are many elements of a quality picturebook that can engage readers from as young as three because the text and illustrations are minimal, but the theme about friendship and using kindness to get positive attention is relevant for elementary students. The book uses humor and kids can connect with Leonardo’s struggle to be taken seriously.

Awards
none

Citations
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15th, 2005 Posted Online May 20, 2010.
Profile Image for Duone.
7 reviews
October 5, 2009
After we read "Don't Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus," I knew that I had to read more of Mo Willems' work. I loved the way the illustrations in his book seem simple, but manage to include lots of things that complement the words on the page. I also think his books have some of my favorite "page-turns."

The title character in "Leonardo, The Terrible Monster" has a serious problem. Well, it's a serious problem if you're a monster: he just isn't thats scary. Unlike some of the other monsters, who have natural advantages (like being really big or having over 1,000 teeth), Leonardo is small and cute. Try as he might, he is incapable of scaring anyone.

Then, he comes up with a plan. After doing extensive research, he finds Sam, "the most scaredy-cat kid around" and Leonardo sets off to "scare the tuna salad out of him" (that just might be my favorite phrase of the year). But after hearing about the horrible things that have happened to Sam, Leonardo decides that being a good friend is more important than being a scary monster.

I read this book to one of my PreK classes today and they loved it. It turns out that Leonardo was so popular with last year's class that he won their Presidential Election. I could see this book working with students as old as 2nd grade (please note that on the inside front cover, a note says the book is "For audiences as young as 3 and as old as 36, so I guess I just made the cutoff :-). For an extension activity, students could even brainstorm some ways to help Leonardo become more scary and write or draw about these ideas.
1,140 reviews
October 29, 2011
Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems tells the story of a very young monster who is terrible at being a monster, because he can't scare anyone.

Leonardo wasn't big, didn't have hundreds of teeth, wasn't weird and
just wasn't scary. Leonardo researches until he finds the most timid boy to scare: Sam. He works hard until Sam cries. When Leonardo celebrates having scared someone, Sam tells Leonardo all the troubles that made Sam finally cry, including not having any friends. Leonardo makes the decision to become a wonderful friend, instead of a terrible monster, most of the time....

The straight-forward text features bold fonts that vary in size, with key words in different colors.

Willems' illustrations bring out the humor in this funny story of a small, unsuccessful scary monster who becomes successful at being a friend. My favorite images include the pictures of Tony, Eleanor and Hector, Leonardo doing research, Leonardo trying to scare Sam, and the last two pictures of the friends together.

This should be a good read-aloud, if you can make that long speech by Sam without needing oxygen! This is a funny look at being a friend.

For ages 3 and up, friendship, monsters, scariness, humor, and fans of Mo Willems.
Profile Image for Heidi-Marie.
3,855 reviews88 followers
October 2, 2014
Oh my word. This comes at the perfect time--when I need one more, quick read for the big Halloween program. And this is excellent! Must practice.

10/30/10 This was fabulous. I loved reading it over and over as I practiced. And I loved reading it to the audience. I think they enjoyed it, too (judging by their faces and the little comments I heard).

What would I do without Mo Willems?

1/25/12 Wonderful in both preschool storytimes. The larger crowd completely ate it up--and loved the yelling part. I botched it a bit, but still got it across. They enjoyed the whole book in the first group. The second group was so tiny and very quiet, but they seemed to like the different monsters and the ending as well. It's a winner--as I'd hoped. Love it!

9/29/14-10/2/14: I had this as an option during the Morningside school visits that I did this week. I read it in a K class. It was received pretty well. These kids were not as well behaved as the preschoolers I've had. So they kept asking me "Why did you read that so fast?" or saying "he didn't scare him." I'm used to that occasionally, but not from 31 kids. It was a bit overwhelming.
Profile Image for Anna Smith.
57 reviews1 follower
November 28, 2016
Summary: Leonardo is a scary monster who can't scary anyone! One day he decides to find a scaredy cat! He sneaks up behind him and makes him cry! But then he decides to be the best monster friend he can be.
Grade: k-3rd
classroom: Read Aloud
Individual: Students who want a cute read
Small Group: Discussion on feelings
Whole Group: Finishing the story and creating a poem
Related Books: Mo Willem's books
Multimedia: Recorded read alouds.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 762 reviews

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