monsters

3 New Picture Books Good for a Giggle

| Tasha
Cover image for The Future Book by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Shawn Harris. Features a bald man in modern sunglasses with a green fish on his head.

The Future Book by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Shawn Harris

  • Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
  • Publication Date: March 3, 2026
  • Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
  • ISBN: 9798217033171

This book is from the future, where many things are different from current life. The sun and the moon have swapped names, so have morning and night. Bananas are called apples and apples don’t exist any more. Many people are now named Charlie Cheese Face. Animals have different names, but dogs are still called dogs. The way you say goodbye has changed too. And instead of saying thank you, you put a fish on the person’s head. 

Silly as can be, this book has a marvelous nonsensical pay off as all the elements come together into a chaotic few pages using the future way of saying things. The humor is silly and will have children giggling at the nonsense of it all. Barnett’s playing with language is masterful as is his timing for this read aloud. The illustrations by Harris are bold and marvelously retro as we look to the future. 

A funny book that must be shared. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Cover image for My Tiger by Joy Cowley, illustrated by David Barrow. Features a small Black boy pulling the tail of a much larger tiger.

My Tiger by Joy Cowley, illustrated by David Barrow

  • Publisher: Gecko Press
  • Publication Date: March 3, 2026
  • Reviewed from library copy
  • ISBN: 9798765683200

A boy takes his pet tiger to the local bakery because the tiger loves to eat cake. The baker is a little worried, but the tiger only eats cake. But too much cake can lead to a bad tooth. Now the tiger has to be taken to the dentist. He doesn’t want to go and has to be convinced to get into the dentist chair. His tooth gets fixed but the boy is warned not to let his tiger eat cake anymore or other teeth will get damaged. So what’s a tiger to eat then?

This picture book has minimal words and moves along at a brisk pace, making it a great pick for antsy listeners at a program. Children surprised by the cake-eating tiger will see their own hesitancy about going to the dentist for a cavity. The twist at the end is a delight though more gentle-hearted youngsters might be shocked. The illustrations tell much of the story, like getting the tiger into the dental chair and the depth of the tiger’s love of cake.

A funny and sweet look at dentists and hungry tigers.

Cover image for Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron. Features a large green blob monster with a smiling face reading a book to a smaller green blob monster who is tucked in bed.

Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron

  • Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
  • Publication Date: July 1, 2025
  • Reviewed from library copy
  • ISBN: 9780593695395

It’s time for bed for the young green blob, even though they aren’t quite done playing yet. The parental Blog points out that everyone is heading for bed too, even the Dark Lord, the Unspeakable Horror and the Yeti. Each are getting ready for bed in their own way. Rooms have been tidied with Skeleton putting her bones in the closet and little Mummy getting wrapped up tight in their bandages. Faces are washed, fangs are brushed, and silky PJs and warm milk have been used. Soon everyone is getting sleepy, even the little Blob. 

Aaron leans hard into the humor in this monster-filled picture book. The mix of bedtime story and horror creatures is a delight with far more creatures included than anyone might expect on their first read. I guarantee this is one that monster-loving children will want to hear again and again. This picture book was included in the Carnegie Illustration longlist for 2026, and the illustrations don’t disappoint. They are merrily filled with monsters in jammies and getting ready for bed. The details are marvelous, each one just right for the character, including pink fuzzy monster slippers for Frankenstein, the Minotaur reading a book of mazes in bed, and the Witch asleep on her broomstick. 

Don’t save this one for Halloween, it’s a great bedtime read any time of year. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Nightmare Jones by Shannon Bramer – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

Nightmare Jones by Shannon Bramer, illustrated by Cindy Derby (9781773069463)

First meet Nightmare Jones himself via the poem about him. He has blood on his shoe, a swashbuckler heart and a soul of soot. One after another, monsters appear poem by poem. There are little ghosts who live in shoes. There is the man who collects teeth. You can visit a witch’s garden or find the monster with a hole in her head. Spiders and eyes make several appearances in the book alongside dark emotions. Your monster can be tangible or all in your head, or maybe a bit of both. 

So much poetry for children is simplified and this book is marvelously challenging both in content being less than straight forward and poetry structure being played with constantly. The result is a book with lines that are eerie and strange, just right for odd children who enjoy the dark corners of books. My favorite poem is near the end of the collection, “The Strangest One” and the title is just right. 

Dark, delightful and dangerously good. Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Groundwood Books.

The Monster in the Lake by Leo Timmers – Book Recommendation

| Tasha

The Monster in the Lake by Leo Timmers (9798765670507)

When one of the ducks wants to go to the lake, Eric asks about the monster that lives there. The other ducks assure him that that’s just a story and there are only fish and frogs in the lake, so he follows them reluctantly. When he peeks his head below the surface, he sees the huge horned monster there. When he shouts to the other ducks, they think he is joking and keep on swimming. Eric soon finds himself face-to-face with the monster, but it’s not quite what he expected.

Timmers builds wonderful suspense here as he fills the page mostly with green lake water with the ducks way at the top. The fish and frogs float past and the reveal of the monster is great fun and deftly paced for maximum impact. Though this is a book with a monster, there is a merriment that keeps the feelings light, plus the monster itself helps with that since it’s quite charming. A great combination of building story line and brilliant use of the page, this would make a great read aloud for older children. 

A monstrously great book to sink into. Appropriate for age 4-7.

Reviewed from copy provided by Gecko Press.

The School Between Winter and Fairyland by Heather Fawcett

| Tasha
Cover image for The School Between Winter and Fairyland.

The School Between Winter and Fairyland by Heather Fawcett (9780063043312)

Autumn and her family are servants at the Inglenook School, a magical boarding school for wizards. Her family cares for the magical monsters in the menagerie, including plant-loving gardening dragons, wisps who need to be clubbed before they are gathered up, and a grumpy Boggart who loves Autumn more than anyone. But Autumn has a mystery to solve, her twin brother Winter disappeared almost a year ago, and she is certain that he isn’t dead. The Boggart spotted him in the school kitchens, but she is not allowed to venture much into the school itself. Meanwhile, Cai Morrigan, the boy prophesized to one day kill the Hollow Dragon, needs Autumn’s help. It turns out that he is terrified of dragons to the point that he can’t stay conscious around them. The deal is that he must help her find Winter while she helps him stop fainting dead away. Now the two of them must search the school and discover hidden parts while also entering the dangerous forest and dealing with dragons big and small.

It is inevitable that people will compare this to Harry Potter due to the magical boarding school at its center, but this middle-grade fantasy novel is something quite different. With a broad sense of humor about monsters, posh wizards, and older brothers, the book also takes on serious subjects like discrimination against different magics, the treatment of those who are different, and one girl’s determination to find her brother no matter what.

The characters are marvelously written. From the powerful and gruff Gran who raises Autumn and her siblings to the brothers who are both heroic and terrible to the family dog who just knows everyone loves him to the dark Boggart who loves deeply and hates to use his full powers. There are monstrous delights throughout the book, the creatures beautifully detailed and fascinating.

A grand fantasy full of twists, magic and mucking out stalls. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Balzar + Bray.

Josephine Against the Sea by Shakirah Bourne

| Tasha
Cover image for Josephine Against the Sea.

Josephine Against the Sea by Shakirah Bourne (9781338642087)

After her mother’s death, Josephine knows that she wants to keep her Daddy’s attention on her. So she manages to chase off any woman looking to be his new girlfriend, using pranks and fish guts. Her father used to love watching cricket matches with her on the weekends, and she is desperate to get him back to doing that again. When one of her pranks goes wrong though, she is forced to use the money she’d been saving to take him to a real match in person to pay for the damages. Josephine also loves to play cricket herself, but at her school only boys play. After being disappointed about the team, Josephine also finds that her father has a new girlfriend. But Mariss isn’t like the other women and doesn’t scare off easily. As strange things start to happen around Mariss, Josephine realizes that she be very different from everyone else and may not even be human!

Full of Caribbean magic, this novel starts out as a story about the loss of a mother and steadily turns into a fantasy about a sea monster who is both kind and vengeful. The author’s own Bajan heritage is reflected throughout the book in the lilt of the dialogue. She also shares Caribbean folktales about a variety of beings and creatures.

Josephine is a grand protagonist. She is hot headed and determined to get what she wants, something that causes both problems and also creates opportunities. She is also willing to reconsider and learn from others, including members of her community and her best friend. Mariss is a complicated villain and monster, which is great to see in a children’s book. She is a mix of kindness and control, a being who wants humans to belong to her and who will destroy them if they don’t obey.

A book of Black girl magic and monsters. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Scholastic.

Monster Friends by Kaeti Vandorn

| Tasha
Cover image for Monster Friends.

Monster Friends by Kaeti Vandorn (9781984896827)

When Reggie arrives at his cousin’s home to housesit during their summer vacation, he gets a warm welcome from the huge monster family who are all busy in the cave complex below the main house, making clothes, fixing pipes, and playing cards. Reggie has left his life of exploring and finding treasure for a quiet summer alone. When his first morning is interrupted by a vivacious doglike monster named Emily, he is a bit overwhelmed and not ready to stop being alone and grumpy. Emily though persuades him to head out into the field and explore his new surroundings, discovering a beach but also a rather intimidating cave. Reggie heads over to Emily’s woodland home a little later, meeting her large family and enjoying a spiced apple for his return home. When Emily goes missing, it is Reggie who knows just where she might be, but he has to face his fear of dark caves and revealing his fear to find her.

This graphic novel for chapter book readers offers a world full of furry monsters who are marvelously human, full of self doubt, a need to prove themselves, and struggles to be honest with one another. Readers will love the small world that is built here, full of wonderful nature like the woods, beach and cave. The world is populated with all sorts of monsters, some scaly, some furry, and some shapeshifters. The art style is full of small details that fill out each of the settings. The mushrooms on the shelves in the family cave complex, the spilling bathtub, the toys spread all over the room.

The writing is just as joyous as the illustrations. Reggie is a grand grump of a character, ready to sulk his summer away until Emily literally bounds right into it. Emily is the perfect foil for Reggie, both visually and in personality. But Emily too has her own struggles with her siblings and family that play out on the page. The two become friends naturally, bridged by warm drinks and shared snacks.

A fuzzy monster of a graphic novel full of caves, serpents and surprises. Appropriate for ages 8-11.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Random House.

Rot: The Bravest in the World by Ben Clanton

| Tasha

Rot The Bravest in the World by Ben Clanton

Rot: The Bravest in the World by Ben Clanton (9781481467643)

This follow-up to Rot: The Cutest in the World is a squirmy, squelchy, muddy read. Rot is a mutant potato and just like all mutant potatoes, he loves mud. They play in it, eat it, even sleep in mud. So when Rot found a massive mud pit, he couldn’t wait to jump right in. But before he can, his older brother Snot tells him to watch out for the Squirm, a monster that lives in deep mud, slimy and gross and hungry! Snot leaves laughing, but Rot is not deterred. He just needs a good plan. Perhaps a superhero costume will make him brave enough? When that wasn’t enough, he adds a knight costume on top, but even that doesn’t work. Perhaps adding something that loves mud too? Soon Rot is dressed up as “Sir Super Rot, the Pigtato!” When he goes back to the puddle, he discovers that there is something squirmy in the mud. Will he be brave enough to find out what it is?

Clanton imbues his picture book with a marvelous sense of humor from beginning to end. At the same time he has created a picture book with a strong story arc with Rot as a central compelling character that children will root for. When he begins to put on costumes to make himself more brave, the humor is there but also a strong sense of empathy for this courageous potato.

As with the first book, the art is bold. It is filled with rich potato and mud browns. The handwritten dialogue is shown in bubbles that look like potatoes too. Keep an eye out for the little pink insect who follows Rot on his adventures.

Squidgy and muddy fun. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy provided by Atheneum.

The Magnificent Monsters of Cedar Street by Lauren Oliver 

| Tasha

The Magnificent Monsters of Cedar Street by Lauren Oliver 

The Magnificent Monsters of Cedar Street by Lauren Oliver (9780062345073)

There are monsters in the world, though few people believe they are actually real. Cordelia and her father help monsters that get hurt, moving them into their house on Cedar Street. The house is bedraggled and unkempt, but the monsters love it, each one finding their own special space inside. The only place that no one is allowed to enter is Cordelia’s mother’s study which has been forbidden since her disappearance nine years ago. Cordelia is used to a house filled with weird noises, so when she awakens to silence one morning she knows that something has happened. Her father and all of the monsters have disappeared. The only ones left are hiding in the oven: a baby dragon and an old filch. As Cordelia sets off to find them, she is joined by Gregory, a boy who lives on the streets and has a monster of his own, a zombie puppy that Cordelia helped save. They must find the monsters and her father, rescue them and perhaps even expose a sinister organization that is targeting monsters of all kinds. It’s a harrowing journey for a girl, a handful of monsters and a new friend. 

The book begins with passages from Cordelia’s mother’s book about monsters which explain the monster themselves and then also link them to how they evolved. This clever use of a book mentioned regularly in the story also allows Oliver to keep the story streamlined and not filled with monster exposition when each new one arrives. The story itself is animated and great fun with wild dashes of action, near catastrophes, kindred spirits and harrowing danger. It’s a story that could feel out of control, but Oliver keeps it pointed in the right direction even when the reader isn’t quite sure which way is up. She also asks larger questions about who the monsters really are and how humans become a true evil monster on the inside. 

The characters are marvelous, each one unique and interesting. Cordelia is brave and creative, nicely solving some of their most dire situations. Gregory is a natural with the monsters and is always willing to lend a hand even if he might get nipped. The monsters are fascinating and varied with just enough similarity to other animals and creatures to be able to be pictured clearly in one’s mind. After all, who wouldn’t want a zombie puppy!

Fast paced fantasy with lots of monsters both wild and human. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by HarperCollins.

Review: Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

| Tasha

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (9780525647072)

Jam lives in Lucille, a place cleansed of monsters by the angels who still live among them. There are no monsters in Lucille any more. But just as Jam is learning about the original angels, who looked more like monsters than humans, she accidentally releases a creature from her mother’s painting. The creature is Pet, who has crossed dimensions to hunt a monster. Pet reveals that the monster is living in Jam’s best friend, Redemption’s house. Now Jam must figure out how to enlist Redemption’s help without accusing his family of doing something terrible and harboring a monster. Or perhaps Pet is the real monster as he hunts without remorse? Jam must learn the truth and then get others to believe her.

Wow. What a book! The voice here is what hits you first, unique and strong, it speaks in a Nigerian-laced rhythm that creates its own magic immediately. Add in the power of Jam herself, a black, trans girl who often chooses not to speak aloud but with sign language. Then you have the amazement of Pet, the nightmare creature who hunts for monsters but also explains the importance of not hiding from the truth. Surround it all with families who love and care and are wonderfully different from one another.

Emezi leads readers through this wonder of a book, filled with LGBTQIA+ moments that are so normal they become something very special. They insist that you understand what is meant by a monster and by an angel, that one can be disguised as another, that monsters are normal people, but must not be tolerated. It’s a book about abuse, about standing up, about angels and demons, and about humans.

An incredible middle-grade fantasy full of power, monsters and beauty. Appropriate for ages 12-14.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Make Me a World.