Monster Needs a Costume

July 22, 2013
First-timers Czajak and Grieb pair up for a gently funny story about a boy and his furry blue monster, who can’t decide what to wear for Halloween. Three options tickle Monster’s fancy, but none lasts for long: after donning a tutu and pirouetting around the family kitchen, “He kept on dancing, day and night, until his feet were sore./ But then he didn’t want to be a dancer anymore.” Czajak’s rhymes give the story energy and humor, as do Grieb’s digital caricatures, which emphasize the comedy of Monster’s cowboy ambitions and attempts to be a stealthy ninja—not easy when “he’s nearly nine feet tall.” Outside-the-box thinkers should enjoy the lighthearted ending, as Monster proves that sometimes one costume isn’t enough. Ages 2–6.

August 1, 2013
What to wear for trick-or-treating? The perennial dilemma stumps Monster, who takes costume suggestions from a helpful boy, who narrates this rhyming tale. Czajack tells the story in rollicking verse that propels readers through a trial-and-error process. Grieb's Monster is an oversized fellow with yellow striped horns, a significant underbite and a generous tuft of purplish hair. Accommodating such a figure, with his big feet and long tail, is a challenge. The boy throws out many ideas. "I said to Monster, 'Do you know what kind you'd want to wear?' / An astronaut? A fireman? / A giant Bartlett pear?" But Monster changes his mind quite a bit, first wanting to be a cowboy, then a ballerina and then a ninja. When Monster imagines what he will look like in these costumes, the illustrator switches to black-and-white images. Kids will grin at the huge 20-gallon hat, the exhausting dance moves and Monster's complete incompetence at stealth. Disheartened, Monster mopes and then has a brilliant idea moments before the pals set off to go trick-or-treating. The mash-up of the previous costumes recalls a solution many a young reader would make and results in a most successful Halloween night. Given the jaunty flow of the story and the humorous details on every page, put this at the top of the list for unscary options come October. (Picture book. 3-6)

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February 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 2-It's nearly Halloween, and Monster is having trouble deciding on just the right look. With the encouragement of a young boy, the creature enthusiastically tries out several different costumes-cowboy, pink-tutu-wearing ballet dancer, masked ninja-but tires of each outfit before the big day. Never fear, Monster manages to come up with a mix-and-match ensemble that makes him a standout among the trick-or-treaters. Jaunty rhymes are paired with slick animation-style cartoon artwork that depicts a not-too-frightening fuzzy beast with sharp teeth, long claws, yellow horns, and a winning smile. The cadenced text and humorous illustrations work well together for a lighthearted read-aloud. An additional purchase for collections in which soft-on-the-scary Halloween tales are in high demand.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2013
Preschool-G Halloween is the best holiday for monsters. (Duh, right?) This little boy's monster is particularly excited about the costuming element: I said to Monster, / Do you know what kind you'd want to wear?' / An astronaut? / A fireman? / A giant Bartlett pear? Nope, a cowboya costume so exciting that Monster wears his twenty-gallon hat all week until he tires of it. His next fascination is with ballet: Monster put a tutu on / and danced around the kitchen. / Pirouette, / pli', / tendu, / and back to first position. But his enthusiasm for dance runs out, too, thus setting a pattern. The rhymes, quite obviously, are bouncy and irreverent, and just as much heck is raised by Grieb's cartoony illustrations of the enormous, blue, horned beast with the happy underbite as he cavorts around the home before dropping from exhaustion. Halloween finally arrivesalong with a wonderfully busy two-page spread of trick-or-treatingwith Monster combining the best of all his interests: The Dancing Cowboy Ninja was the costume of the night! (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)