A Crankenstein Valentine

by Samantha Berger, Dan Santat (Illustrator)

Overview

Even the crankiest monsters have hearts in this Valentine tale from fan favorite author Samantha Berger and Caldecott medalist illustrator Dan Santat.

Cheesy cards, allergy-inducing bouquets, and heart-shaped everything? YECHHHH! It's enough to turn anyone into a monster! An ordinary kid becomes Crankenstein on the most lovey-dovey, yuckiest day of the year: Valentine's Day.

Can Crankenstein find a way to turn his sour day sweet? Can a monster find a little love in his heart? Find out in the monstrously funny A Crankenstein Valentine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316376389
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	12/16/2014
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	47,986
Product dimensions:	12.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Samantha Berger has written picture books including What If..., Crankenstein and A Crankenstein Valentine, Witch Spa, Snoozefest, Santa's Reindeer Games, and Martha Doesn't Say Sorry, which won a Parent's Choice Award Honor. When she isn't writing, she's doing voice-overs, traveling the world, and helping rescue dogs. Samantha splits her time between New York City and California.

Dan Santat is the Caldecott Medal-winning and New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, Are We There Yet?, and After the Fall as well as the illustrator of many other picture books, including Crankenstein by Samantha Berger. Dan lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, and various pets.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for A Crankenstein Valentine:
"A humorous story... My 5-year-old has me reading this book to her again and again."
—The New York Times


Praise for Crankenstein:
"Expect many re-read requests from Crankensteins who may (or may not) recognize themselves."—Publishers Weekly

"Will the creature ever turn from "MEHHRRRR!" to merry? Youngsters will roar along with Crankenstein through this silly and sympathetic story of grumpy-grouchies."—School Library Journal

"Whoa. Be prepared for the intense frustrations, the moody outbursts and the green scowls of Crankenstein...Each setting reveals sly comic elements that both kids and their grown-ups will appreciate. Readers will laugh out loud...Get ready to read this aloud a lot." —Kirkus Reviews

"Sometimes-when you have to go to school, when you have to take cough syrup-all there is to say is "MEHHRRRR!"... This is a No, David! for slightly older kids..."—The Horn Book

"The text of this book is simple but effective: Crankenstein, who is green and none too pretty, but distinctly boy-like, never says a proper English word, but responds to all cheerful questions with loud monster-speak noises. Berger...has a well-honed sense of comic timing that little kids find hilarious, and 'Crankenstein,' with its many exclamation marks, growls and grumbles should unleash the actor in any adult kind enough to read it aloud.

To convey Crankenstein's crabby mood, Santat uses a lot of sickly brown and green. But just when the reader has had about enough of that putrid palette, Crankenstein meets another monster, and like two negative numbers, they come together to make something positive. As temperaments brighten, so too do Santat's scenes, which are suddenly sunny. For the sake of Crankenstein's poor parents, let's hope the weather holds!"

—New York Times Online

"Caldecott winner Dan Santat's illustrations are hilarious, expressive, slightly gross, and absolutely delightful."
—Charlotte Parent

From the Publisher