Help!: A Monster Play-Along Adventure

by Anna Brooke, Adam Ming (Illustrator)

Overview

A hideous monster needs YOUR help to reverse the spell so he can return to his gorgeous self!

Excuse me? You—yes, you! A naughty fairy has turned me into this hideous monster, and I need YOUR help to cure me! Help the monster reverse the spell by shouting "sausages!" ten times, picking his nose (and wiping it on a grown up), and, well, you don't want to know what happens when you press his nose. Do everything right, and he'll return to his true form and be gorgeous again . . . or so he thinks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798765690123
Publisher:	Andersen Press USA
Publication date:	09/09/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	32 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Anna Brooke was a travel journalist for seventeen years. Her debut novel was a SCBWI Undiscovered Voices winner. When not writing, she has been an actress, a cabaret singer, and an electro-pop artist. She lives in Paris with her husband and son.
Adam Ming is a Malaysian illustrator based in Kuala Lumpur. He creates witty and energetic illustrations with a comic sensibility for picture books. And he believes EVERYONE should keep a daily sketchbook!

Editorial Reviews

"Featuring huge-lettered text and hilariously grotesque imagery—including stomach-churning yellow-green fart clouds—this tale is loud in every sense of the word, but the illustrations offer ample negative space for breathing room . . . . [K]ids will find it a hoot. A gut-busting crowd-pleaser."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2025-05-16
Transformed into an “absolutely disgusting” creature by a “naughty fairy,” a monster seeks help changing back into its former self.

The book’s narrator, an unsightly being with a red nose, bug eyes, purple ears, green skin, and sturdy orange feet, is in dire need of assistance. Luckily, the fairy has left a list of tasks. If readers are willing to complete them, the monster has a shot at regaining its old form. Countless interactive picture books call upon youngsters to clap their hands or snap their fingers, but this one leans heavily on gross-out humor, imploring audiences to pick the creature’s nose (“Sorry, but you did promise to help”). Next? Wipe the boogers onto the nearest adult, then give the monster’s armpit a scratch. The requests mount, some less revolting than others (“Count my spots,” “Try to scare me”). Featuring huge-lettered text and hilariously grotesque imagery—including stomach-churning yellow-green fart clouds—this tale is loud in every sense of the word, but the illustrations offer ample negative space for breathing room (readers will certainly need it). While there is meaningful fun to be had in defying norms, some of the actions suggested might encourage unsanitary habits. Pair this tale with a solid discussion about healthy practices and respecting caring adults. Still, kids will find it a hoot.

A gut-busting crowd-pleaser.(Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews