  | Smarter than a monster : a survival guide Author: Mull, Brandon | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
Learn how to defeat monsters by practicing good health habits, including brushing and flossing teeth, keeping a clean room, and being active instead of sitting in front of the television all afternoon.
| Illustrator: | Walton, Mike |
Reviews:
Booklist (03/01/20)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 03/01/2020 In this colorful, lighthearted picture book, monsters can lurk everywhere, but being informed, knowing what you’re up against, and adopting some positive behaviors can keep them at bay. Mull offers proactive strategies to avoid monster run-ins based on those monsters' characteristics, such as taking baths (“monsters hate the smell of soap”), reducing TV-watching and video-gaming (“monsters often strike when you are not paying attention”), and tidying up. If all else fails, however, “your imagination is powerful enough . . . to outsmart and defeat them.” While the often cartoonishly drawn monsters and kids in candy colors may attract younger audiences, using cautionary, implied “or-else” motivators (such as, scared children shouldn’t sleep in parents’ beds because monsters anticipate this and await them there, or those brushing and flossing daily “usually survive to be teenagers”) are more likely to be disconcerting or spooky than reassuring. Still, older picture-book readers and their adults may find the offbeat take on the topic—and the not-so-subtle lessons throughout—more droll than dire. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.
