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Monsters Growling in the Background

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Monsters Growling in the Background

Paperback

$8.95

Paperback
$8.95

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Overview

This collection of classic and contemporary poems will send shivers up and down the spine of any reader brave enough to open the book.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781478870425
Publisher:	Reycraft Books
Publication date:	10/01/2022
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.38(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	8 - 14 Years

About the Author

Martin Ontiveros lives and works (and lurks) in the East Bay of Northern California. He’s never met a werewolf, vampire, or ghost he didn’t like.

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Editorial Reviews

08/22/2022
A vibe-setting anecdote about a Halloween night that terrifies costumed candy-seekers opens this immersive assortment of poems, “some as old as a rotting corpse in a grave, others as new as a baby goblin.” The grouping intersperses works by contemporary authors such as Kenn Nesbit (“Halloween Party”) with those of classic poets including Walter de la Mare (“Some One”) and Edna St. Vincent Millay (“The Little Ghost”). Accompanying the verses are bold-hued, poster-style illustrations by Ontiveros, which employ atmospheric elements (a graveyard, a haunted house) in thick outline alongside individuals portrayed with fancifully hued skin tones. Though the poems’ creators are limited to white-presenting American and English writers, appealing visuals and truly spine-tingling stanzas lend themselves to a seasonally pleasing read. Ages 8–14. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

09/23/2022
Gr 3 Up—A set of 13 poems where the spooky illustrations are the focus. A mix of famous older works, such as Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven," and newer Halloween poems are clearly compiled to serve the images that Ontiveros has created—and those images are very well done. Bright neon characters in high contrast to gray and black backgrounds, trippy repeating pattern endpapers, and highly stylized representations of a child's nightmares grace the pages around these poems. This very short book could be a fun read-aloud for parents or caregivers with younger kids, although they might want to pre-read the book and judge children's scare-thresholds. Some of the poems have a high reading level despite having children as the main characters, so older kids may enjoy this collection as well. The art is the main selling point of this book, as it may be difficult to justify the purchase of a book of only 13 poems, many of which are older or in the public domain. VERDICT A fun read-aloud for readers who love spooky art.—Jeri Murphy

School Library Journal

2022-07-27
A tribute to terror.
Readers who are looking to add a few more ooky-spooky vibes to their lives will be excited to read this petite but potent poetry anthology. Contemporary poets, including Kenn Nesbitt and Richard Jones, share the pages with historical powerhouses like Edgar Allan Poe and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Each of the 12 poems gets its own double-page spread—except for “The Raven,” which needs three double-page spreads to contain it—and all the pages feature bold, expressive artwork. It’s hard to judge if the text or the illustrations are working harder to impress (and scare) readers, and combined they create an impressive poetry collection that will entertain and educate. Many characters, both supernatural and human, are depicted with vibrant skin tones; a group of terrified people gazing at “Mr. Macklin’s Jack O’Lantern” (by David McCord) have bright yellow skin, while a pair of undead creatures are green-skinned. Others appear to be White-presenting, like the narrator of “The Raven” or the protagonist of Walter de la Mare’s “Some One.” Caregivers should expect young readers to wiggle and giggle with horrific glee, and educators and librarians should prepare for this to be a popular choice in the autumn. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Solidly spooky fun that will have readers screaming with joy. (Poetry. 8-12)

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