I’d like to share a new book with you this morning. This book just happens to be included in our Halloween Interactive Gift Guide, and it’s called How to Catch a Monster by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Andy Elkerton. My family received this book in exchange for this review, and inside this post you will find our affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the products you purchase.
I chose this book because I knew that when Charlie was little, he would have absolutely loved it. There are monsters, traps, a little ninja, lots of imagination, and just enough silliness to make a child laugh. And then there is the part where the monster farts. Yes, you read that right.
I wish I had this book when Charlie was little! But with Leslie having a new baby, I think this will make a wonderful gift for her family. This is the kind of book that can become a favorite bedtime story and one that children will want to hear again and again. I could even see us reading it during our 10 Minute Reading Challenge and adding it to our Interactive Christmas Gift Guide/ Wish List for all the good little boys and girls Santa will be bringing presents to this year once we get the Sleigh loaded.
How to Catch a Monster is part of the popular How to Catch series from Sourcebooks Wonderland. In this series there are 47 fun titles for children, with everything from witches and elves to Easter bunnies, turkeys, dinosaurs, leprechauns, and more. This particular story follows a young boy who decides he’s ready to face the monster that has been hiding in his closet.
He’s feeling especially brave because he has been chosen to play the Ninja Master in his school play. So instead of being frightened by the monster, he decides he is going to catch it. Of course, catching a monster isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. Or is it? What do you think?
He comes prepared with traps, including a big shark with big teeth and a super-sticky ninja-nabbing net. But this monster isn’t going to make things easy for him! And just when you think the story is going one way, you discover that perhaps the monster isn’t really something to be afraid of after all.
That’s one of the things I love about this story. It gives children a fun way to think about fear and reminds us that sometimes the things we imagine are much scarier than what is actually waiting for us. And then there is the monster’s very unusual way of saying hello.
I’ll let you discover that part for yourself. But I will say that Charlie and David are both going to get a huge kick out of it! Adam Wallace loves writing stories that make children laugh and get excited about reading, drawing, and writing. According to his author biography, he has sold more than 15 million books and has had seven Number One New York Times bestselling books, many of them from his How to Catch series.
I love that his mission is to entertain and inspire children. You can really see that in the How to Catch books because they invite children to use their imagination while having fun with the story. Adam also has a newer book called The Elfabets, which is especially fun because it doesn’t have traditional illustrations. Instead, children get to become the illustrators themselves and create the pictures. I love the idea of a book encouraging children not only to read but also to draw and create their own version of the story.
Let’s start with the cover because there are some really fun things going on here. I absolutely love the way the O’s in the title look like eyeballs. Charlie thought the yellow eyeballs with the black centers and little white dots were really funny-looking. And honestly, they caught my attention immediately.
I also love the little blue moon in the corner. But what really made me curious about the cover is that you don’t actually see the whole monster. You see his behind, his tail, one foot, and a claw. That’s it! You get to imagine what the rest of the Monster looks like and that is half the fun with this book.
It actually reminded me a little of the way Monsters, Inc. Monster’s look and how they makes monsters fun instead of simply scary. And once we get into the story, we discover that this isn’t exactly the scary monster our little ninja expected. Which makes the story fun for children of all ages.
The school day is over, and our little boy has been chosen to play the Ninja Master in the school play. He’s feeling brave. He’s feeling strong. He’s feeling courageous. So he decides tonight is the night he’s going to deal with the monster in his closet. I’m glad thats him dealing with the Monster and not me.
I love the confidence he has when he heads into the closet because, of course, every child who has ever been afraid of something can understand that feeling of deciding, Okay, I’m going to be brave now. But our little ninja doesn’t just walk into the closet empty-handed.
He has a bag of tricks. First comes a big shark with big teeth. Then comes a super-sticky ninja-nabbing net. Let’s just say the monster proves to be a little harder to catch than expected. And Then We Meet the Monster Eventually, the monster is caught and sitting in a cage.
But instead of being frightening, the monster looks sad. That’s when our little ninja learns something important. The monster never meant to scare him. He wasn’t trying to be mean. He was actually doing it by mistake. I really like this part of the story because the boy doesn’t just decide, “Monster equals bad.”
He stops. He listens. And then he realizes that maybe he has misunderstood the monster all along. Of course, this is also where the story takes a turn that had me laughing. The monster rips a massive fart! And apparently, that’s how monsters say hello. But this isn’t just any smell. The monster says it smells like strawberries and lime.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I want to know what a strawberry-and-lime fart smells like! I can already hear Charlie and David laughing about this one. The story gets even sweeter when we meet the monster’s family, including a baby monster and Mama Monster, who is purple all over.
What started out as a scary monster hiding in a closet turns into something completely different. The little boy ends up taking the monster home, where he meets Mom and Dad. They play together for hours and even have something called volcano pie. Now, I have to admit, I want to know what volcano pie is!
Is it chocolate? Is it something gooey? Does it actually erupt? Maybe that’s another conversation for another day. Eventually, it’s time to brush teeth and get ready for bed. And wouldn’t you know it? The monster peeks around the door. But after everything they’ve been through, I don’t think our little ninja is going to be afraid anymore.
One of the things I like about How to Catch a Monster is that it doesn’t simply tell children not to be afraid. Instead, it gives them a funny story where the thing they thought was scary turns out to be something completely different. There is imagination. There is humor. There are silly monster traps. There is a little bit of suspense. And there is a friendship waiting at the end.
The illustrations by Andy Elkerton add so much to the story, too. There are plenty of details for children to look at while you’re reading, and the monster itself is just funny enough that I don’t think most little readers will find him too frightening. This would be a fun book for Halloween, in as a spooky basket, a bedtime story, or simply a gift for a child who loves monsters and that is why you will find it inside our Interactive Halloween Gift Guide.
And because the How to Catch series has so many different books, this could also be the beginning of a whole new book collection. This is one of those books that made me think about Charlie when he was little. I can just imagine sitting down with him and reading this story, especially when we got to the monster’s unusual way of saying hello.
Some books are simply books you read once. Other books become part of the family because everyone remembers the funny parts. I think How to Catch a Monster is going to be one of those books for us. And now that Leslie has a new baby, I’m looking forward to sharing books like this with the next generation of our family. Even though the recommended age for this book is 4 to 7, I think the humor gives adults plenty to enjoy while reading it aloud, too.
Title: How to Catch a Monster
Author: Adam Wallace
Illustrator: Andy Elkerton
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Series: How to Catch
Recommended Age: 4–7 years
Printed U.S. Price: $10.99
At the time I checked, I found the book available on Amazon for $5.99, which is quite a bit less than the printed price. Of course, online prices can change, so check the current price before purchasing. If you have a little one who loves monsters, Halloween, silly stories, or books that make them laugh, I think How to Catch a Monster would be a fun one to add to their bookshelf.
I wish I had this book when Charlie was little, but I’m happy that I can now recommend it to another generation of little readers. And if you haven’t had the opportunity to read this book, I hope you’ll take the time to check it out—and then check out the rest of the How to Catch books, too.
There are so many of them that you could have a whole lot of fun building a collection. This is definitely a book we will read over and over and over again. And I’m pretty sure that every single time we do, someone is going to bring up that strawberry-and-lime fart. Because that’s just how our family rolls.
About the book:
A USA Today Bestseller! From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling How to Catch series comes an all-new monster story and the perfect Christmas gift for kids!
Get ready to laugh along in this fun children’s monster book as a brave young ninja heads into the closet to meet the monster that’s been so scary night after night! But what if our monster isn’t scary at all? Maybe our hero is about to make a friend of the strangest sort…
Whether you’re looking for Halloween kids books, spooky basket stuffers, festive gifts for children, a great bedtime story, or inspiration to build your very own STEAM traps and activities, parents, educators, and children alike will love sharing this silly read aloud! This inventive picture book about conquering fears and overcoming anxiety reminds us that things aren’t always as scary as they seem!
There’s a monster in my closet with claws, and teeth, and hair,
and tonight, I’m going to scare him! He lives just right through there…
Also in the How to Catch Series:
- How to Catch a Witch
- How to Catch the Easter Bunny
- How to Catch an Elf
- How to Catch a Turkey
- How to Catch a Leprechaun
- How to Catch a Dinosaur
- and more!
About the Author: Adam Wallace
I LOVE writing stories that make children laugh and get excited about reading and drawing and writing. I also love taking naps and listening to music. Not at the same time. Well, sometimes. It depends on the song.
I have been lucky enough to have sold over 15 MILLION books and had SEVEN Number One New York Times Bestselling books, mostly with my How to Catch series, with more books on the way, so my mission to entertain and inspire billions of kids is well on the way!
My brand new book is The Elfabets, is a book with no pictures because … the children get to become the illustrator!!! Check out my website (simply search online for Adam Wallace author) and go to the contact page to sign up for updates … when you do, YOU WILL GET FREE BOOKS AND MORE!
And coming VERY SOON – ACTOR ELF, the next book in the Elfabets series that the children illustrate themselves!!!
GratefulMoments.com
Grateful, Thankful, Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
Greatful, Thankful, Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
