Some Monsters Are Different by David Milgrim (review)

This celebration of individuality features an assortment of digitally rendered ink and pastel monster children identified by characteristic ("Some monsters are afraid. Some are not. Some monsters will eat anything. Some are picky") as they participate in an array of activities familiar to the preschool set. There is something decidedly Todd Parr-esque in the all-encompassing language of the narrative and, as in Parr's work, the potentially heavy-handed message is lightened by the simple phrases and abundant visual humor. Milgrim is particularly successful in incorporating personable, character-enhancing detail into the compositions, so that the gigantic monster fears a worm while the small monster readily picks it up, and the picky eater not only prefers pizza but insists on picking the tiny green bits off of it. The narrative ends with a celebratory exclamation ("All monsters are absolutely, positively, completely, perfectly wonderful . . . just the way they are!") that pairs perfectly with the penultimate illustration, a motley assortment of boldly tinted monsters gathered in a group portrait and smiling out from the page with toothy grins. While this is more of a gallery than a story, there is plenty of fun in the images to carry the tale, and the message about individuality promises plenty of use.