I Need My Monster

Grades K-2
In a tale that's a little reminiscent of "Monsters, Inc.," Ethan has just discovered that the monster that inhabits the area underneath his bed has taken off for a week's vacation. How is he supposed to get to sleep without his monster there? What's to keep him in bed if there's no threat of sharp claws and equally sharp teeth and oozy slime? Several replacement monsters show up over the course of the evening, but there's something wrong with each one: no sharp claws on one; nail polish on the claws of the second; a bow on the tail of the third. Ethan is starting to despair of ever getting to sleep when his own monster Gabe returns. Kids will enjoy how the author turns scary monster stories on their ear, and will wish for their own monster under the bed.

Summary:A young boy's monster decides to take time off to go fishing. The young boy cannot sleep without his monster. He tries out other monsters, but they don't scare him like his monster does. Finally, Gabe comes back and he is scared again and is ready to sleep. Personal Reaction:This book was great! I loved the animations. The story line was awesome in the fact that it made light of monsters even though he is still scared of them. I like how he knew that monsters were there to keep him in his bed. It was a really cute story.Classroom Extension Ideas:1) I would use this book to read to young children maybe pre-k or kinder. I would then have them use this idea of monsters and let them create their own scary monster that would be perfect for them. It could even be a 3D project. If they bring in objects such as buttons and yarn and many other small objects. 2) Young children are often scared of things that older people aren't scared of because they don't really know what it is. I would have the class discuss somethings that they are scared of or things that they think are scary. I would use this book to show that what might seem scary might not really be that scary after all.

A young boy named Ethan is dismayed to discover, one evening at bedtime, that his under-the-bed monster companion, Gabe, has gone fishing, and will not be returning for a week! How will he get to sleep without Gabe's familiar ragged breathing, or the delicious thrill of seeing Gabe's slimy green ooze? Auditioning a series of temporary replacements, Ethan finds that there simply is no substitute for his monster...An amusing tale that will most likely appeal to monster-loving kids, Amanda Noll's debut picture-book, I Need My Monster joins the ranks of those books which envision monsters (under the bed, or in the closet) as partners in the bedtime process. Titles like Mercer Mayer's There's a Nightmare in My Closet spring to mind, in this respect. The accompanying illustrations by Howard McWilliam, drawn in pencil and painted with acrylic, accentuate the humor and creepy fun of the tale.The only discordant note, in this entertaining venture into bedtime territory, is Ethan's claim, when rejecting one of his monster applicants, that girl monsters are for girls, and boy monsters for boys. Come again? I appreciate that this may be meant to represent a young boy's perspective, but for me, it just introduced a silly, and possibly damaging stereotype into an otherwise winsome narrative. Don't we already have enough problems, trying to encourage young boys to read a diverse range of stories, without overtly endorsing the idea that "girl" things (even girl monsters!) simply aren't for boys? I was originally going to rate this at three stars, but the more I think about it, and the more I recall some of the discussions I've had about trying to get boy readers enthusiastic about reading, the more disturbed I am by this one "discordant note." This book would be fabulous, without it. With it, I would have trouble recommending it.

I thought this was a clever spin on a child's nightmare. Normally, children are so afraid of monsters under their bed, but not Ethan. He NEEDS a monster under his bed in order to sleep. I enjoyed reading this book because he's just a little boy who misses his original monster. None of the others could compare.

I think this book is perfect for boys, i like how the boy of the book is anxious to have back his monster under the bed who went fishing.

I absolutely loved "I Need My Monster" for many reasons. The first reason is for its great usage of similes and personification. Students are beginning to learn literary elements in third grade, and there are great examples throughout the story. The illustrations are also vivid and detailed, and many are very detailed to what the story describes. Another reason I loved this story, is that it tells of an unusual friendship between a little boy, who should be afraid of a monster, actually enjoying the company of his monster. The students will enjoy the humor associated in the story, and hopefully pick up on some of the great comparisons and imagery that is used!

Review: This children's book was a very cute. Most children are afraid of "monsters" so I think children can understand what this story is about. The illustrations were very well done and added to the story. The monsters were very scary looking. Summary: This story is about a little boy and the monster, Gabe, under her bed. He goes to look for her monster one night and finds a letter saying that he is going fishing. The little boy couldn't go to sleep without her monster making noise so she knocks on her floor to get another monster. He doesn't think he is scary enough so he sends him back. He keeps sending the monsters back because he needs a scarier monster. The little boy keeps finding things wrong with every monster. Finally Gabe gets back and the little boy can finally go back to sleep.Argument: I really enjoyed this book. It was very funny because normally children are afraid of monsters, but this child couldn't live without his. There were cute pictures of scary looking monsters that helped me be more involved in the story.The moral of this story is that not everything that is scary to one person isn't to the other. The little boy isn't scared of monsters that don't have big nails, teeth or scary tails.

I like this book for several reasons. One reason I like this book is the language. Throughout the story the author uses descriptive language for each monster that appeared and the noises in the story. "Sharp ragged nails" is one example of how the author used descriptive language for each monster and what they looked like. Another reason I like this book is the illustrations. The illustrations connected to the text and what was happening during the story. One example is at the beginning of the story when the boy is worried about not having a monster under his bed. The illustration shows the boy laying in bed with a worried look on his face. The plot is another reason why I like this book. The plot is a little boy who is looking for a new monster to be under his bed because his original monster is gone. Each monster that comes out does not satisfy him because they are not scary enough. This story makes having monsters under the bed less scary for children.

It is too bad that this book has some questionable issues, because the overall idea of the book seemed cute and the pictures are well done. The boy's under-the-bed monster has gone on a trip and he needs a substitute for the night. I have no problem with the idea that the boy wants his monster back and that he is particular about what he wants. What I do have a problem with is the author's choice of monsters to reject and how they are presented:- a girl monster is rejected because boys need boy monsters and girls need girl monsters- a boy monster is rejected because he has nice nails- a stuttering monster is rejected because he is too funny and has a big tongue.If you need to include a discussion of "this isn't OK in OUR family" when reading a book because it has issues with gender roles, gender presentation/homophobia, and being different, you need to consider whether the book is worth reading. Sometimes it is worth it because of the discussion. But other times, unfortunately, it just means the book isn't worth it. Unfortunately, I think that is the case here.

Great switched up story line of a child who WANTS to have a monster under his bed. It shows the boy knows what he likes and he won't settle for less.

I liked the concept, but didn't appreciate the gendering: "boys need boy monsters and girls need girl monsters".

I was indifferent about this book. There were some things that I did like and some things that I did not. One thing that I liked about the book was the language to describe the monsters' characteristics, and the appropriate illustrations to match this. For example, the author described one monster as having "ragged breathing and a whistling nose." The illustration of the monster matched up with this description and gave the story more of an effect. However, what I did not like about this book was the plot. I felt that it was repetitive and boring. There was not much of a climax to the story, other than when the little boy realizes that he is only scared of his original monster, Ethan. Overall, the message of the story is that all people are different and have their own characteristics. Some people may see a better friendship with one person, and others may see a closer friendship with someone else.

I liked this book because of the imagery, and the effects of sound that helped visualize the story for students. I did not like when the author stated "boy monsters are for boys, and girl monsters are for girls." I do not think that it is fine to start gender stereotyping at an early age. It is important to focus on inclusion at a young age, so that students remain open minded individuals. As for what I did like in the book, the effects of sound really were engaging for the readers, when the author would talk about claws, or things being slimy. The images also painted a nice picture, and flowed with the story. The main message of this book would be, in the end all things we love will return.

This is a super descriptive fun book that even fifth graders would enjoy. It suits the imagination that a boy would NEED his monster under the bed AND be scared of him. The pictures are vibrant and attract a 'cooler' audience than the traditional kiddy story book.

GREAT illustrations...probably not a good before bed read for the really young. Would maybe work as a book to help calm bedtime fears.

Everyone at sometime in their childhood thought there was a monster living somewhere in their room. In the book," I Need My Monster" Ethan doesn't only think he has a monster living in his room but knows for a fact the monster lives under his bed! This would cause most kids to stay awake all night and plead to stay in their parents room, but not Ethan. The monster helps him to go to sleep at night. But what will happen when Ethan discovers his monster has gone on vacation? This wonderful, fun story will keep you entertained and asking for more.

How do authors keep coming up with these twists on teh 'monster under the bed' theme? I'm impressed. It took an annoyingly long time to find out *why* the boy needed his monster, but once we understood it, all made charming sense. The only thing to add is that I don't see a lot of potential for re-reads on this one, so get if from your library or skip it.

This was a very fun and easy read. A young boy finds a note from the monster under his bed that he is gone fishing for the week. The story shows the various substitute monsters under his bed for that week. The descriptive details of the monsters and their actions were wonderful. The illustrations that went along with the pictures were very well done. I enjoyed how each monster was so different than the one before it. The young boy was not scared of any of them and wanted his own monster back. This teaches children not to be afraid and is a fun way to address monsters under the bed. It also teaches the lesson that everyone is different.

There are a few reasons why I liked this book. The first reason I liked it is the point of view. The story is from the point of view of a young boy who wants a scary monster under the bed. Instead of being afraid of the monster, he is very picky about having an extremely scary monster. This makes the story funny because it is the opposite of what normal children want. The second reason I liked the book is because of the illustrations. Each time a new monster was introduced in the story, there was a great picture to go along with the words that described it. The pictures were drawn very well and had a semi-real feel to them. The third reason I like this book is the language throughout. There is a lot of dialogue throughout the book which makes it more interesting. The dialogue also allows the reader to move through the page clearly. The main idea of the story is to explain that it is okay to be picky about what you like during bedtime.

I liked the concept, but didn't appreciate the gendering: "boys need boy monsters and girls need girl monsters".