Book Review: LEONARDO AND THE TERRIBLE MONSTER

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Willems, Mo. 2005. LEONARDO AND THE TERRIBLE MONSTER. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786852941

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Mo Willems presents a delightfully amusing story about Leonardo, a monster who cannot scare anyone. Physically he is compared to monsters like Tony, who has 1, 642 teeth, Eleanor who is so big you cannot see her entire body, and Hector who looks weird. Leonardo is none of these things, but he decides to practice silly faces and wacky moves in an effort to try and be scary, but his plan doesn't work. Then Leonardo comes up with an idea to find a child who, he thinks, will scare easily and try to scare him. Once Leonardo finds Sam, someone who Leonardo perceives to be easily scared, he sneaks up behind him and gives it his best effort to scare the “tuna salad” out of him. When Sam cries, Leonardo proclaims victory, but Sam quickly lets him know that he was not scared and vents to Leonardo the true reason behind his tears. When Sam was done, Leonardo makes a very important decision. He decides instead of trying to be a terrible monster, he is going to be a wonderful friend.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Mo Willems’s entertaining story idea and humorous writing are what make this story picture book shine. The plot is wonderfully creative and gives readers many ways to relate to the story. Readers can find personal connections in this story through the themes of determination, sympathy, not fearing monsters, and friendship. A standout element of the story is Willems's use of all capital letters for the text throughout the story. Furthermore, the author/illustrator’s hi-lighting of certain words in different colors, catches the attention of and forces the reader to focus on that particular word or phrase on the page, which was usually the main word or phrase on the page. Though this is a story about a “terrible monster” the author does a great job of creating a monster book that children of all ages can enjoy.

The illustrations also add another dimension to the story which helps Williems’s intended audience not fear the “terrible monster.” Willems takes special care to make the monsters look nonthreatening to the reader. From his color palate of pale greens, blues, peaches, purples, and grays to his use of curved lines to draw all the illustrations, including a smile on almost all of the monsters faces, Willems’s monsters are seen as not harmful and on the border line of comical.

He even takes it a step further, by having a backdrop setting. Instead of the story taking place in a forest, the wood, or in the country, Willems uses the same pale colors to fill in the background which takes out one huge element that could possibly scare children and forces the reader to focus solely on the characters in the story. With the focus solely on the characters, readers are able to see Willems’s wonderful job conveying feelings and emotions in the faces of Leonardo and Sam. One look at either of their faces and readers will defiantly be able to predict what feeling the character is trying to express. Overall, Willems's use of color and lines helps to create a book about a “terrible” monster seem not so scary to the books intended audience of readers.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
BOOKLIST review: “A winner for story hours, with plenty of discussion possibilities”
KIRKUS review: “The highly predictable ending is made fresh by the superb control of pacing, just-zany-enough sense of humor and body language readers have come to expect from the creator of Pigeon and Knufflebunny.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*The text used when Sam is explaining to Leonardo about why he is crying is one long run on sentence. After reading the story, I would have Sam’s explanation typed on a sheet of paper and run off for my students. Then I would have my students revise the writing putting in appropriate punctuation.
*This book also opens the door to real children's issues such as friendship, determination, not being scared of monsters, and sympathy which could be topics in a discussion group after the story is read.

*Other books related to the various themes of Leonardo and the Terrible Monster:
Friendship:
Raschka, Chris. YO!YES?. ISBN: 9780439921855
Not Fearing Monsters:
Emberley, Ed. GO AWAY, BIG GREEN MONSTER!. ISBN: 9780316236539
Determination
Raatma, Lucia. DETERMINATION. ISBN: 9780736813877