Even Monsters Go to School

by Lisa Wheeler, Chris Van Dusen (Illustrator)

Overview

In the vein of the bestselling How Do Dinosaurs…? series, this follow-up to Even Monsters Need to Sleep is a fresh and humorous back-to-school picture book.

What’s a school day like for you?

Bigfoot rides a yellow bus.
Frankenstein shows off his new shoes.
Troll loves playing tag at recess.
And aliens go gaga over school supplies.

Just like you, even monsters go to school!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062366429
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/18/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 12.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lisa Wheeler is the author of Someone Builds the Dream, illustrated by New York Times bestselling artist Loren Long, as well as other popular and award-winning picture books, including Even Monsters Need to Sleep, Mammoths on the Move, One Dark Night, and the Dino-Sports series. She lives near Detroit, Michigan. You can visit her online at lisawheelerbooks.com.

 

Chris Van Dusen is the author/illustrator of many picture books, including A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee, If I Built a Car, and The Circus Ship. He also illustrated the popular Mercy Watson series written by Kate DiCamillo. He lives with his family in Maine. You can visit him online at www.chrisvandusen.com.

Editorial Reviews

Even if it doesn’t send kids straight off to dreamland, it will keep them looking; snuggled close with a grown-up, that’s not all bad.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The book is sure to do the trick at bedtime, and it’s gentle enough even for readers who find monsters intimidating.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2019-05-08
A grown-up monster describes in rhyming verse how monsters of all types go to school, and so must this child monster, no matter how glum about the prospect.

The copyright page and first spread show a very reluctant monster coming down the stairs, dragging a bouncing backpack, to a breakfast of mush. No text sets up this situation. Instead, the text reads "When Bigfoot wakes, he combs his hair…," which is confusing since none of that is shown. The page turn then syncs text with image, showing Bigfoot jumping out of a tree to catch the bus: "and steps out in the morning air. / Yellow bus is waiting there. // Even Bigfoot goes to school." The rhyming, smartly scanning stanzas continue, showing that Frankenstein (the monster, wearing Converse-like shoes), dragons, Yeti, bridge trolls, the Loch Ness Monster, Jack's giant, and aliens all go to school. The last few spreads return to the titular monster, blue-furred with yellow horns and purple stripe and sporting a pink dress and purple backpack, getting ready and then happily waving goodbye while headed to the bus. Van Dusen's gouache illustrations are spring-bright and cheerful, every (nonscary) imaginary beast delighting in some aspect of school. Once past the opening narrative hiccup, young readers will delight in the premise and in the myriad visual details, which do include gender-binary restrooms in one scene.

Every monster, imaginary or not, will enjoy this and hopefully also find something to enjoy about school. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews