Review by Jocelyne Gregory
Tundra Books, Penguin Random House Canada, 4 August 2020
32 pages, Hardcover, $21.99, 978-0-73526-708-4, E-book 978-0-73526-709-1
Ages 3-7, Grades Preschool to Grade 2
Picture Book
Monsters. They’re everywhere. They wear disguises, hide in plain sight, and—according to Cale Atkinson’s Monsters 101—there’s a one in three chance that your home might have a monster hiding under a bed. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad or scary.
Monsters 101 by Cale Atkinson is a helpful guide for any young researcher that wants to learn more about monster diets, history, biology, classifications, famous monsters like “Tofu Cauliflower: first vegetarian zombie” or “Dr. Underoos: first monster to wear underpants” and most importantly, the things that monsters fear most. With the guidance of Professors Batula McFang, Howlsworth, Blobbins, and Tina the Zombie, readers learn to become monster scientists so that they can learn how to study and protect the monsters of the world.
Atkinson’s illustrations are vibrant, active, and inviting. They draw the reader’s attention to the details of monsters and the backgrounds. The monsters themselves are friendly, and each one is unique in colour, shape, and size. The eyes, horns, legs, blobs, and fur are almost tactile, and pop off the page in their designs.
Monsters 101 would be ideal in a home and school collection, and a public library. Readers might also enjoy its companion book, Unicorns 101.
Monsters 101 will hit the shelves on August 4th, 2020!
Jocelyne Gregory is a UBC MFA creative writing candidate and a graduate of SFU’s The Writer’s Studio. She’s an author and editor and has provided manuscript consultations with the Sechelt Public Library and the Writer’s Studio. A lifelong gamer and fan of comics, she lives on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada.
YOUNG ADULTING 