My Monsterpiece

This charming children's book by Amalia Hoffman is about a boy who wants to draw a scary monster masterpiece - or as he calls it a "monsterpiece" - to scare his mom, dad, sister and best friend.  The only problem with his plan is that no matter which version of monster he tries to scare someone with, everyone thinks it's cute or funny!  The sharp teeth, long green tongue, pointy horns, claws ... none of them bring anything other than a smile or laugh.

Well this leads him to an epiphany:  What if monsters don't have to be scary?  What if they like the same things we do?  

Or maybe ...

What if they think WE'RE scary and want to draw pictures of US to scare their family and friends?  And what if they decide we don't have to be scary either?

If I showed the kids at school this story with monsters and brightly colored pictures, they'd eat it up!  You can never go wrong with monsters (despite every parent needing to check under their kids' beds for them).  Luckily, this story also teaches a valuable lesson about inclusivity and friendship, and about overcoming our assumptions and biases about those who are different. 

Hoffman's mixed media, hand-drawn cutout monsters really are quite cute.  If my own kids were still young and had drawn those, they'd be hanging on my refrigerator bringing a smile to my face too.

★★★★★ 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's due to be published March 2, 2021.