The Pruwahaha Monster

by Jean-Paul Mulders, Jacques Maes

Overview

A little boy goes with his father to swing on his favorite swing. But a huuuuuge monster has just woken up from a long nap nearby, and it’s very hungry — for little children! As the monster creeps closer and tries to scare the boy with its fierce cry, “pruwwwahhahaha!” all the boy does is laugh and swing. Is the boy fearless? Or is there something he knows about this monster that we don’t know? The spine-tingling suspense will keep the smallest thrill seekers on the edge of their seats — then they’ll beg to hear it one more time!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771387651
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	10/04/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	35 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jean-Paul Mulders is a Flemish journalist and writer, and the author of several books for adults; The Pruwahaha Monster is his first book for children.

Jacques Maes & Lise Braekers are a graphic design, web design and illustration duo from Belgium. The Pruwahaha Monster is their first book for children.

Editorial Reviews

2016-07-02
This Belgian picture-book debut introduces a boy who loves to swing, his father, and a monster.Readers first see the white duo bundled in hats and long scarves. Then the father disappears, and the focus shifts to the swinging child and the (initially offstage) titular monster: it smells “of sprouts and old slippers,” and it likes to eat children. The limited palette for the woodland images and backgrounds features mint green, orange, black, white, and tan. Each spread is carefully coordinated, and pattern trumps perspective. The narrative and image placement are sometimes disjointed or confusing, as when two separate domiciles are mentioned in the text but only one is depicted. A little further on, the text on a double-page spread is merely a repetitive list—a search-and-find. The monster enters as a shadow, his long, wavy arms grasping at the swinging child. The boy keeps laughing as the creature repeatedly howls a longer version of the titular nonsense word—a humorous sound to produce—to no avail. In a perplexing penultimate scene, the monster returns home, embarrassed at having failed to frighten the child. (Showing an actual creature is inconsistent with prior treatment and the gag). Father and son leave, anticlimactically, casting scarf shadows that resemble outstretched arms. While there are clever visuals and excellent cartoon-villain laughter, this book fails to deliver a satisfying story. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews