The Monsters' Monster (review)

Even though they look like semi-cuddly critters, "Grouch, Grump, and little Gloom 'n' Doom thought they were monsters," so they try to act as atrocious as possible. To end their ongoing argument about who is the most monstrous monster of all, they cooperatively create a huge, Frankenstein-like creature, which becomes animate after—naturally—being struck by a lightning bolt. Their creation's polite and sunny outlook throws the trio at first, but the creature's inspired gift of warm jelly donuts and a quiet day at the beach soon convert them from pugnacious monsters to peaceful ones. Though rowdier kids may be disappointed by the tame ending, many children will relate to both the monstrous behavior ("their ten favorite words were No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, and . . . No!"), and the cheerful kindness. McDonnell's text is succinct and snappy ("Grouch got some tape, tacks, staples, and glue. Grump found some gunk, gauze, and gobs of goo"), and an enthusiastic reader-aloud can easily make the most of the occasional moments of melodrama ("The monster started to twitch. 'He's alive, ALIVE!' the little terrors exclaimed"). McDonnell's illustrations possess more scope and substance than in his Mutts comic, and he effectively utilizes a limited palette of grays, browns, and muted reds for most of the book, employing a broader color spectrum at more powerful or pleasant moments (such as the monster's sudden animation or the crew's day at the beach). Scratchy black outlines, dynamic poses, and short radiating lines that indicate motion or emotion keep the art energetic, and the quartet of monsters is more cute than creepy. Stock up on jelly donuts and serve them up along with this for a not-so-scary monster readaloud.