One Hungry Monster

One Hungry Monster

by, Susan Heyboer O'Keefe
illustrated by, Lynn Munsinger

This silly rhyming counting book tells the story of a boy dealing with some rowdy, rude and hungry monsters. The little boy, never appearing afraid, finally puts the silly hungry monsters in their place and orders them away.

The rhyming lyrics of this story make it a fun book to read out loud. As I read the book, a clear rhythmic pattern emerges. The illustrations depict silly monsters, and I couldn't help but giggle as I read about monsters "drooling at commercials for sauerkraut and beans." The illustrations remind me of the illustrations in "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak. The plot is similar as well, with a little boy gaining control over some wild monsters.

I own the board book version of this story, and when I checked this book out from the library, I didn't realize that it would be different than the board book version. In the board book version, most of the second half of the book, where the little boy is getting rid of the monsters, is left out. I enjoyed reading the part that was omitted from the board book, and really, the story and conclusion makes so mch more sense with the entire book.