The Monster Who Lost His Mean

by Tiffany Strelitz Haber, Kirstie Edmunds (Illustrator)

Overview

Everyone knows that the M in "monster" stands for MEAN. But what happens when a monster can't be mean any more? Is he still a monster at all?

One young monster's attempts to live up to his name go hilariously awry as he discovers—with a little help from new friends—that it's not what you're called but who you are that counts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805093759
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	07/17/2012
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD670L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tiffany Strelitz Haber has eaten fried bugs, jumped out of airplanes and lives for adventures. She grew up in NYC, but is now located in central NJ with her incredible husband and their two hilarious and amazing little boys. She is the author of The Monster Who Lost His Mean.

Kirstie Edmunds, illustrator of The Monster Who Lost His Mean, lives near the woods with her husband, Jonathan, and their two tomato plants, Tom and Frank.  She was born in Wales, the land of the red dragon, and moved to London to go to art school. Though she's never seen a monster, Kirstie loves to paint them.

Editorial Reviews

...listeners and readers will delight in the Onster's search for his place in the world.” —School Library Journal

“Readers will chime in with the ‘hip, hip hooray' this cuddly-looking creature earns when he finally embraces and celebrates his differences.” —Kirkus

From the Publisher

Although there are many stories about the perils and rewards of a monster's turning nice, this one goes a little further, touching upon being rejected by peers, being bullied and eventually being at ease with who one is. Supposedly each letter in the word "monster" stands for a valuable character trait that all these creatures share: M is for mean, O is for Observant, N is for Noisy, S is for Super Strong, T is for Tough-to-Please, E is for Envious and R is for Remarkable. Sadly, the lime green, rectangular protagonist loses his "M" and his ability to be truly mean. Now he is "just The Onster." Without his "mean," he becomes the target of teasing and feels embarrassed when he is caught by the monster pack doing good deeds and fitting in with the more kindhearted and accepting young humans. Even when he purposely tries to do something bad, such as pulling "the flowers out of Mrs. Power's yard," he "just can't bear to harm them, so he waters them instead." The rhyming text proceeds at a steady clip, and Edmunds digitally renders scenes that aptly depict the monster's back-and-forth feelings about becoming a nonthreatening, thoughtful and friendly Onster. Readers will chime in with the "hip, hip hooray" this cuddly-looking creature earns when he finally embraces and celebrates his differences. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews