Friday, March 2, 2012

Perfect Picture Book Friday :-)

I wanted to say goodbye to Jan Berenstain. Thank you for all the wonderful stories about your bears!

Monsters Eat Whiny Children

Written and illustrated by Bruce Eric Kaplan

Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (August 31, 2010)    

Suitable For:     

Ages 4 and up

 

 

Theme/Topic: 

Teaching children not to whine               



Opening:

Once there were two perfectly delightful children

who were going through a terrible phase, which

is to say they whined all day and night

"I want to go outside," whined Henry.

"Outside! Outside!" whined Eve.

"Where's my phone? whined Henry.

"No grilled cheese! whined Eve.

And so on.



Synopsis 

From School Library Journal 

For those who like their picture books with a little edge and offbeat humor, this is a surefire hit. Henry and Eve are "going through a TERRIBLE phase"; they whine constantly and are eventually stolen by a monster and taken to his lair. To be fair, their kindly father did warn them. Luckily, the monster and his wife whine and argue even more than the children, and cannot agree on what to make: whiny-child salad, burgers, or vindaloo? On the advice of a deliciously cantankerous aunt, the monsters finally agree on simple whiny-child cucumber sandwiches on fluffy white bread. In the meantime, however, the clever children escape, having learned an important lesson about whining–mostly. The recipe for cucumber sandwiches, minus the whiny children, is included. Kaplan's minimalist cartoon illustrations bring to mind Quentin Blake's work and complement the humorous, quirky text with its askew frames, thick black lines, and color accents. The book makes a great read-aloud. Opportunities for whiny monster voices abound, and readers are guaranteed a laugh when the monster's wife insists she cannot eat whiny-child cake because her bottom is too big.

 

Why I loved it:

The neon green cover is eye-catching, the silliest title and the book is dedicated to the two whiny characters in the book. It is laugh out loud fun while teaching kids just how ridiculous their whining sounds. Can anyone say refreshing? 


Resource:

I tried, but could not find any resources on this book. SO. How about teaching what Gila monsters and Sea monsters really eat? That could be fun to learn and tie in nicely with the story.


For more picture books click over to visit the awesome, wonderfully fantastic author pal, Susanna Leonard Hill.

 

Happy birthday Dr. Seuss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

Have a lovely weekend everyone! xoxo

34 comments:

  1. Yes, a book to stamp out whining! A win!

    I tell all children I can't understand them when they whine.

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  2. This sounds like a good book I'd like! My dad asked me when he read the title of the book "Can I hire one of these monsters?" ;) I'll have to "hire" this book from a bookstore! Thanks for telling us about it!

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  3. The book sounds great! Thanks for sharing it!

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  4. Hahahah Sounds like lots of anti-whining fun. Thanks, Robyn!

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  5. I'm noticing a theme here... Last week Julie posted I Love You When You Whine... :) No doubt, whining is one of the few things that really used to send me over the edge, so books that address it in a fun way, hopefully encouraging kids not to whine, are worth their weight in gold! Thanks for sharing what looks like a very fun book! So glad to be adding it to our list :)

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  6. I read this book recently. It was really fun. Glad you put it on the list.

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  7. The book sounds cute. I would love to read it.

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  8. Your Friday book reviews tend to brighten up my day and this one is no exception.

    Have a great weekend my friend:)

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  9. I laughed out loud when I read the title! I MUST get this for my kids (really for me)!

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  10. Eeek! I'll really try not to whine! Promise!

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  11. Great choice that all kids and parents can relate to. Love the whiny monster theme. What fun!

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  12. LOL.... this is a cool book and very with it. Can just see the conversations rolling ahead of this book once its been read. Great choice, Thanks.

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  13. Oh my! Sounds very Hansel and Gretle.

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  14. Boy, do I need this book! There is a whining epidemic going on at my house!

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  15. Whining is an offence punishable by having to clean your room in my house. Great concept.

    Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss as well.

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  16. If something tastefully and gently addresses whining, I'm all for it! Thanks, amigo!
    Happy weekend and big hugs to you,
    Karen

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  17. Sounds like a great read aloud! Wish I had this when my kids were little!!

    Blessings!

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  18. I love picture books that are a little off beat and different. And as far as whiny children go, I've got a couple over here would probably appreciate it too! Thanks for sharing!
    A2ZMommy and What’s In Between

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  19. Sad to hear about Berenstain. :(

    This sounds like a cute book!

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  20. I'm going to have a monster day and only read Monster books. I never worried about monsters as a kid, but I'm sure I whined. We're sort of in the whining without words stage, so I'm sure this will be a handy addition to our library list. Have a great weekend!

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  21. I love leaving notes but have had the darndest luck with this kind of comment box. I'll bravely try though.
    Was that whiney enough? Great choice!

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  22. oH that was awesome. it went right away!
    Terrific. Now I won't be monster soup.

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  23. Now this one worries me, since I had a girl who was afraid of monsters. I'll take your word for it that it works for the kiddies!

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  24. thanks for the heads up on this book...I think I will check it out for my grandson!

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  25. Whoo-hoo! This sounds like a great book for me. Can't wait to read it.

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  26. I've read this recently and it's a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing your review!

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  27. I never knew there was a book that addressed the problem of whining...this is fantastic!!!
    It's really amazing how tolerant many parents are of whining...I think that is why the children continue. :( Perhaps the parents are just so overwhelmed, they tune it out.
    Great choice, Robyn!

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  28. Oops...just left a comment that said I didn't know there were books about whiners...but Julie did one last week. I'm sure there are others also...that's why PPBF is so great...we are all getting to hear about books we didn't know existed.

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  29. Robyn!

    Check my blog! Woo Hoo!

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  30. Oh how refreshing indeed! I love the sound of this. It is so easy to accidentally slip into whining and of course kids repeat you. Thanks Robyn!

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  31. Oh my! I wonder if it would give kids nightmares or if they would just laugh. Probably laugh out loud.

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  32. How funny that the monsters whine more than them. That'll teach them a lesson (although I don't want them to get eaten).

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  33. I need an escape from whining some days! Looks like a great book!

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