I Need My Monster (I Need My Monster Series)

by Amanda Noll, Howard McWilliam (Illustrator)

Overview

A unique monster-under-the-bed story with the perfect balance of giggles and shivers, this picture book relies on the power of humor over fear, appeals to a child’s love for creatures both alarming and absurd, and glorifies the scope of a child’s imagination. One night, when Ethan checks under his bed for his monster, Gabe, he finds a note from him instead: "Gone fishing. Back in a week." Ethan knows that without Gabe’s familiar nightly scares he doesn't stand a chance of getting to sleep, so Ethan interviews potential substitutes to see if they've got the right equipment for the job—pointy teeth, sharp claws, and a long tail—but none of them proves scary enough for Ethan. When Gabe returns sooner than expected from his fishing trip, Ethan is thrilled. It turns out that Gabe didn't enjoy fishing because the fish scared too easily.

Scholastic Book Club Selection

Winner of 6 state awards: Alabama Camellia Award (2010-2011), Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award (2011), California Young Readers Medal (2011-12), Georgia Picture Storybook Award (2011-12), Nevada Young Reader Award (2011-12), Virginia Reader's Choice Primary Award (2012-13)

Included on 5 other state award lists: Mississippi Magnolia Children's Choice Award list (2012-13), Nebraska Golden Sower Award list (2011-12), South Dakota Prairie Bud Award list (2011-12), Washington Children's Choice Book Award list (2010-2011), Wyoming Buckaroo Award list (2011-12)

Additionally, these regional awards lists: Connecticut Charter Oak Children's Book Award list (2011-12), Iowa Regional Goldfinch Award Winner (2009-10)

Storytelling World Award Honor Book 2010

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780979974625
Publisher:	Flashlight Press
Publication date:	04/01/2009
Series:	I Need My Monster Series
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	81,751
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Amanda Noll is a writer. She lives in Spanaway, Washington. Howard McWilliam has won awards for his artwork, including National Young Cartoonist of the Year (UK), and has contributed art to a wide range of magazines and newspapers including, Child Education, The Daily Telegraph, Nursery Education, and The Week.

What People are Saying About This

Edward Hemingway

A must read for any discerning monster lover. A perfect bedtime companion. I'm keeping one copy on the nightstand, and one under the bed! (Edward Hemingway, author, Bump in the Night)

Alisha Baber

A super title with excellent illustrations and a fun read! (Alisha Baber, Lane Education Service District)

Editorial Reviews

"Dramatic in perspective, McWilliam's exaggerated, digitally colored art renders the monsters in a spectrum of neon hues and outlandish shapes. The collaborators ably balance some bedtime chills with humor, and Ethan's enthusiasm for his monster should prove infectious."  —Publishers Weekly



"A fun nighttime read for those who enjoy a bit of shiver as they are tucked in to bed . . . a great read-aloud for a slightly older audience at a night-themed story hour." —School Library Journal

"Noll turns the tables on monster fears by introducing readers to Ethan, a little boy who can’t fall asleep without the ragged breathing and claw-scratching of his favorite monster, Gabe."  —Booklist

"A clever anxiety-defuser and an unusually well done double-debut."  —Kirkus Reviews

"A perfect read-aloud for squirmy youngsters, especially boys . . . exquisitely creepy, perfect for. . .  all monster-lovers."  —The Sacramento Bee

"Between the simple hilarity of the story itself and the amazing, gorgeous illustrations, I Need My Monster is a brilliant piece of picture book work."  —A Patchwork of Books

"A must read for any discerning monster lover. A perfect bedtime companion. I'm keeping one copy on the nightstand, and one under the bed!"  —Edward Hemingway, author, Bump in the Night

"The same kids who loved Neil Gaiman's The Wolves in the Walls are sure to appreciate I Need My Monster too. Highly recommended."  —Monster Librarian.com

From the Publisher

This debut picture book for both author and illustrator offers a droll take on the monster-under-the-bed theme. Ethan is distressed when he peers under the mattress for his monster but finds only a note: "Gone fishing. Back in a week." How can he fall asleep without Gabe's "ragged breathing. His nose-whistling. The scrabbling of his uncut claws" and the "spooky green ooze" he emits? Concluding that he needs a substitute, the bug-eyed boy knocks on the floorboards to summon one, but the beasts that appear one by one aren't sufficiently menacing ("The whole point of having a monster, after all, was to keep me in bed, imagining all the scary stuff that could happen if I got out"). Ethan engages in spry repartee with the monsters he rejects before Gabe reappears, having cut short his trip. Dramatic in perspective, McWilliam's exaggerated, digitally colored art renders the monsters in a spectrum of neon hues and outlandish shapes. The collaborators ably balance some bedtime chills with humor, and Ethan's enthusiasm for his monster should prove infectious. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

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Publishers Weekly

The same kids who loved Neil Gaiman's The Wolves in the Walls are sure to appreciate 'I Need My Monster,' too. Highly recommended.

Monster Librarian.com

I admit I picked up this book because of its adorable illustrations, but I assure you the story is just as cute . . . I won't spoil the ending, but it's sure to send your kiddos off to LaLa Land with a smile on their faces.

It's Good to Be the Queen.com

A really fun spin on bedtime anxiety and being afraid of being in your bed alone . . . Stunningly gorgeous.

Just One More Book podcast

Between the simple hilarity of the story itself and the amazing, gorgeous illustrations, I Need My Monster is a brilliant piece of picture book work.

A Patchwork of Books

A perfect read-aloud for squirmy youngsters, especially boys . . . exquisitely creepy, perfect for . . . all monster-lovers.

The Sacramento Bee

Noll turns the tables on monster fears by introducing readers to Ethan, a little boy who can't fall asleep without the ragged breathing and claw-scratching of his favorite monster, Gabe.

Booklist

Gr 1-3

When Ethan's resident "under the bed" monster named Gabe takes an unexpected vacation, a host of substitutes applies to fill in for him. However, none meet the boy's very picky requirements. Noll has great fun describing the interview process: "Do you have long teeth and scratchy claws?" Ethan asks the first candidate, Herbert. "No, but I have an overbite. And I'm a mouth breather." Ralph has the requisite claws, but he polishes them so they are not scary enough. So it goes with all the candidates, until Gabe returns home early, allowing Ethan to get a good night's sleep. The dark humor is perfectly matched to McWilliam's creepy-cute artwork. Any potential scariness in the text and art is offset by the silly details that are included, making for a fun nighttime read for those who enjoy a bit of shiver as they are tucked in to bed. This would also make a great read-aloud for a slightly older audience at a night-themed storyhour.-Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA

School Library Journal

Fretting that he won't be able to get to sleep with Gabe, his favorite under-the-bed monster, who has gone off on a fishing trip, a lad holds auditions for a temporary replacement. Unfortunately, the applicants are just not scary enough, despite full complements of talons, googly eyes and like monsterly accoutrements. Displaying a dab hand for accurately rendered fine detail and massy, solid-looking figures, McWilliam depicts a succession of outsize Monsters, Inc.-style creatures bulging up from beneath the young narrator's bed and then retreating grumpily after his polite rejections-until, at last, a pair of huge red eyes and "an ominous puddle of drool" signals the return of his customary bogey. "No other monster can scare me like you!" the child declares happily, and settles down for another untroubled night. A clever anxiety-defuser and an unusually well done double-debut. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews