Believe It or Not, My Brother Has a Monster!

by Kenn Nesbitt, David Slonim (Illustrator)

Overview

From one scary monster to ten disgusting slugs and everything in between, this spooky rhyming story is chock-full of creepy crawlies...and one nervous little brother!

He led it home and snuck it in,which gave me goose bumps on my skinto see a monster standing there.Those giant claws! That shaggy hair!Uh-oh, this boy's older brother is up to something...he's found a monster, and he's brought him home! Now he's trying to sneak in even more terrifying creatures. What's going to happen when his parents find out? A hilarious, side-splitting cumulative story with a monster twist of an ending from the brilliant minds of children's poet laureate Kenn Nesbitt and talented illustrator David Slonim!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545652100
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	06/30/2015
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

David Slonim's many children's books include HE CAME WITH THE COUCH, I LOATHE YOU, and MOISHE'S MIRACLE, a NEW YORK TIMES Best Illustrated Books selection. He lives with his family in Chesterfield, Indiana. Please visit his website at www.davidslonim.com.
Kenn Nesbitt is the current U.S. children's poet laureate and an award-winning author of poetry for children, whose works have appeared in numerous poetry collections and school textbooks around the country. Kenn lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife and two children. You can visit him at www.poetry4kids.com

Editorial Reviews

07/27/2015
In a raucous story from U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate Nesbitt (Bigfoot Is Missing!), a boy describes the Halloween night when his brother brought home a monster (and an array of animals): “He then snuck seven bats inside./ The spiders ran and tried to hide.” Slonim’s (I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dreidel) rattlebrained cartoons convey the animal guests’ antics, which include commandeering a computer and rocking out to “Monster Mash.” When the boy’s worst fear comes true (“I hope our parents don’t find out!”), the animals transform into cuddlier counterparts (robins instead of ravens, gerbils instead of spiders, and a shaggy dog instead of a monster), only to revert to their glowering selves on the final page. The 11th-hour transformations may confuse some readers, but the mischief the animals get up to should keep them entertained. Ages 4–6. Author’s agent: Jill Corcoran, Jill Corcoran Literary Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

05/01/2015
K-Gr 2—When a sibling does something forbidden, there is as much a sense of dread as there is excitement. Told in rhyme by the younger brother, the story describes how a boy brings home a monster on Halloween night. But that is just the beginning. He continues to accumulate other creepy creatures in increasing quantities. The younger brother bears witness to all the mischief in the dark, each time repeating the phrase "I hope our parents don't find out." When the adults do come home, though, they turn on the lights and readers see that the creatures aren't that creepy after all. Perhaps there was a little elaboration and an overactive imagination at work on the part of the younger brother. While the story concept is cute, the narrative seems to drag a little and can be wordy at times for the sake of the rhyme. The muted cartoony illustrations work well with the text but are not exceptional. VERDICT An additional purchase, especially for the monster-crazed.—Emily E. Lazio, The Smithtown Special Library District, NY

School Library Journal

2015-07-15
A boy is horrified as his older brother collects increasing numbers of scary and creepy creatures—and brings them all in the house! Nesbitt delivers this overlong cumulative tale in a series of rhyming couplets. The awestruck younger brother narrates. "It happened just last Halloween, / the weirdest thing you've ever seen: / My brother went out after dark / and found a monster in the park." Soon two hairy spiders, three rats, four toads, five black cats, and so on have invaded their house. The younger brother repeats, "I hope our parents don't find out," at the end of each new iteration. The text describes the mayhem that ensues while Slonim has fun giving the various animals hilarious expressions with his cartoon illustrations. Finally the dreaded moment comes when the parents arrive. But instead of gruesome unwanted visitors, there is a menagerie of more welcome inhabitants, including caterpillars, butterflies, geckos, kittens, and gerbils. The original monster that started the story is "a shaggy dog, just big and hairy." The story takes yet another surprise twist after this one, and with few clues as to its internal logic, readers may find themselves scratching their heads. This title could be a fit for those kids whose imaginations occasionally run amok or those whose memories of actual events get wildly embellished. (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews