Marilyn's Monster

by Michelle Knudsen, Matt Phelan (Illustrator)

Overview

“Rich with feeling . . . a warm, gently funny reminder to chase down one’s dreams, rather than waiting for them to appear on the doorstep.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Some of the kids in Marilyn’s class have monsters. Marilyn doesn’t have hers yet, but she can’t just go out and look for one. Your monster has to find you. That’s just the way it works. Marilyn tries to be patient and the kind of girl no monster can resist, but her monster doesn’t come. Could she go out and search for him herself? Even if that’s not the way it works?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763693015
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	05/23/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	913,353
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Michelle Knudsen is the New York Times best-selling author of Library Lion, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes; Argus, illustrated by Andréa Wesson; Big Mean Mike, illustrated by Scott Magoon; and Marilyn’s Monster, illustrated by Matt Phelan, as well as the Trelian middle-grade fantasy trilogy and the Evil Librarian YA horror-comedy trilogy. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is terrified of spiders.

Editorial Reviews

Knudsen (“Library Lion”) once more offers a gentle reminder that sometimes you have to break a rule in order to do the right thing. ...It’s a lesson ideally suited for a helicopter-parented, standardized-test-soaked generation of girls — and boys, too — who are offered few chances to advocate for themselves and solve their own problems.
—The New York Times

Rich with feeling, it’s a warm, gently funny reminder to chase down one’s dreams, rather than waiting for them to appear on the doorstep.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Knudsen’s charming story is a great fit for Phelan’s gentle watercolor-and-pencil illustrations. With just a few lines and brushstrokes, he depicts the wide range of Marilyn’s emotions, from wary hopefulness to sullen grumpiness to, finally, utter joy. The whimsical, friendly monsters are equally expressive, and their supernatural antics in the background will tickle funny bones. Little ones feeling lonely or worried about making friends will be empowered by Marilyn’s determined, take-charge attitude.
—Booklist

A surprising spin on monsters with nicely effective artwork—and heart.
—Kirkus Reviews

Every one of Phelan’s monsters is wonderfully weird, and readers will have fun noting similarities between them and their human friends.
—School Library Journal

In Mr. Phelan’s tender and witty pencil drawings, we see goofy, preposterous monsters choosing their human companions.... Ms. Knudsen has packed a surprising amount of relatable emotion into this story of humility and derring-do.
—The Wall Street Journal

This is an intriguing and offbeat story, and Knudsen’s matter-of-fact narration effectively draws readers into the situation, while subtly engaging kids at their emotional core.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The green-toned watercolor and colored pencil illustrations will delight young readers
—School Library Connection

From the Publisher

Knudsen…offers a…lesson ideally suited for a helicopter-parented, standardized-test-soaked generation of girls—and boys, too—who are offered few chances to advocate for themselves and solve their own problems.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

★ 01/26/2015
A girl named Marilyn watches with increasing frustration as monsters of every shape, size, and cryptozoological origin pair up with her peers to serve as playmates, companions, and protectors. Her snarky older brother has a pink-and-green blob that he wears on his head, and “Timmy’s monster chose him right in the middle of a history test” (Phelan shows an enormous furry hand thrusting into her classroom through a window, pointing at the boy next to her). In Marilyn, Knudsen (Big Mean Mike) creates a highly sympathetic everychild experiencing a full spectrum of emotions: doubt, uncertainty, anger, confidence, and boldness. Meanwhile, Phelan (Druthers), working in watercolor and pencil, creates a wild cast of monsters, from pond-dwelling tentacles to cat-stegosaur hybrids and the fuzzy winged creature Marilyn eventually finds trapped up in a tree (“I got lost,” it explains. “And then I got scared. And then I got stuck”). Rich with feeling, it’s a warm, gently funny reminder to chase down one’s dreams, rather than waiting for them to appear on the doorstep. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

02/01/2015
K-Gr 3—One of the poignancies of childhood is the waiting—for a loose tooth, to ride a bike, to learn to read. Knudsen's brilliantly simple narrative and Phelan's whimsical pencil and watercolor drawings speak to the universal need for belonging and the anxiety born of impatience. The story's opening sentence sets up the plot: "Some of the kids in Marilyn's class had monsters. It was the latest thing." These pet monsters each seek out just the right child, and that takes time, so at first Marilyn isn't worried about not having one of her own. But the longer she waits the less patient she is; she adjusts her appearance and behavior hoping to attract it and then tries to convince herself that having one doesn't matter anyway. "But they were pretty great. She could see that they were…." So finally, against the advice of her know-it-all older brother (his monster sits on his head like a squishy baseball hat), Marilyn takes matters in her own hands. She packs a lunch and sets out to find her monster—which happens to have gotten stuck in a tree while trying to find her. Every one of Phelan's monsters is wonderfully weird, and readers will have fun noting similarities between them and their human friends. VERDICT Pair this story with Mo Willems's Leonardo, the Terrible Monster (Hyperion, 2005) and Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Weirdos (Little, Brown, 2002) for a ready-made guidance lesson or a fun storytime with built-in text-to-self connections.—Lisa Lehmuller, East Providence School District, RI

School Library Journal

2014-12-22
Marilyn waits and waits for her monster to find her, the way all her friends' monster companions found them, until she finally gives up and goes looking for him. Say goodbye to scary monsters. Here lurk monster buddies (anatomical amalgams with horns, fangs, fuzz, fur and sometimes antennae) who arrive unannounced to serve as superspecial sidekicks to every child. Much fun comes from seeing a multitude of monsters in everyday settings, like school and the park, and from marveling at their confounding shapes and sizes. Mellow pencil-and-watercolor illustrations soften their freakishness, convincing even the most jittery nighttime readers that they too might pine for a monster pal just as Marilyn does. Wonderfully telling, finely wrought facial expressions communicate Marilyn's feelings as her days without a monster wear on; she's hopeful, wistful, wary, dismissive, angry and finally determined. "That's it," Marilyn declares one day. "I'm going to find my monster." Grit, persistence, and a good, loud shout bring the two together, and as Marilyn untangles his wing from a high limb, children might ruminate on some larger lessons that hover around what initially seems a sweetly silly monster story. A surprising spin on monsters with nicely effective artwork—and heart. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews