Growing a Reader: Kids' Books, Tips and More

Hush little baby, don't say a word
And never mind that noise you heard
It's just the beasts under your bed
In your closet, in your head… 
(Enter Sandman by Metallica)

Recently I saw a humorous post floating around social media about a father who sings his child Enter Sandman by Metallica at bedtime, I found this very amusing as I have heard my own husband singing this to my daughter. Let me stress though, this is not a scary song when accompanied by a ukulele (just slightly annoying, sorry P). It really shows though that whether something is scary or not often depends on context. When my daughter developed a fear of monsters, we found lots of great monster books which helped to alleviate that fear and make monsters fun.

Here are some great (not so scary) picture books featuring monsters:

Because I’m Your Dad by Ahmet Zappa

A lovely book for dads to read to their children, it’s both silly and touching. A monster dad tells his child about the fun and silly things they will do together such as, “Because I’m your dad, you’ll grow up knowing robots are cool, but monsters are even cooler.” My daughter's favourite line of the whole book is, “Because I’m your dad you’re gonna get tickled!”

Go Away Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley

This is a great read aloud book. Kids delight in making this monster disappear bit by bit. The contrast of bright colours against the black background makes the illustrations really stand out.

Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Leonardo is a terrible monster, terrible because he’s not scary. When he finally finds a child he can scare, surprising events occur. This humourous book about friendship is a must read.

My Teacher is a monster (no I’m not) by Peter Brown:

This book, dedicated to misunderstood teachers and students, focuses on perception and how others are often not how they seem. In this humourous story Bobby is always getting into trouble at school, and thinks his teacher Ms. Kirby is a monster. One day they meet at the park, and Bobby starts to see Ms. Kirby as something different.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

This classic Caldecott winning picture book is great for monster fans everywhere. When Max gets into trouble and is sent to his room, he goes on an unforgettable adventure.

Here are some other monster books to check out: