Synopsis: When a monster is born there are two possibilities – either it’s a Faraway–in-the-forests monster or it’s an under-your –bed monster. If it’s a Far-away-in-the-forests-monster, that’s that. But if it’s an Under-your-bed-monster, there are two possibilities-…And so the story goes on with a constant refrain which eggs the reader on into guessing whatever the next possibility could be. Hugely entertaining, witty and scary, this cleverly patterned book beguiles young readers into guessing whatever can come next.

Review: At every page turn in this book there are two possibilities. Take one and that’s that. Take the other and there are two possibilities for the lime green monster with the bright pink horns, who ushers us through this story. Nick Sharratt has cleverly superimposed garish images of the goofy looking monster onto realistic backgrounds of ordinary family life. There is a clever juxtaposition of the monster being very compliant as he behaves normally, posing for the school photos for instance, or very scary as he eats people like the head teacher. The text is written in various fonts which add to the wackiness of the plot and help the reader make meaning as the author/illustrator intend.

Sean Taylor has based his story on a traditional Brazilian poem and it still retains the poetic form in its patterning. The story, although full of bizarre happenings such as the monster walking through the classroom wall, has echoes of traditional tales: there is a kiss, which turns a monster into a handsome young man, falling in love and happy ending . Clever use of intertextuality helps make this a powerful book, which can help young children become effective readers of words and pictures. Cross curricular work could include choice trees in maths or writing stories in the style of the author, by borrowing this pattern.

Nestle Gold Award 2007 - Book for the under 5s

2007-01-20