1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Willems, Mo. 2005. LEONARDO THE TERRIBLE MONSTER. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0-7868-5294-1
2. PLOT SUMMARY
LEONARDO THE TERRIBLE MONSTER is a picture book about a cute, small, greenish tan, blue eyed, and pink nosed monster, who is truly a horrible monster. He’s terrible at being scary. No matter how hard Leonardo tries at being a scary monster, he fails at it miserably. After careful contemplation, Leonardo decides to do a little research and find “the most scaredy-cat kid in the whole world. . . and scare the tuna salad out of him!” As a result, nervous Sam is chosen as Leonardo’s victim. Leonardo tries every trick of his monster trade on Sam, until he cries. Finally, Leonardo realizes that the most important thing in life is not about being a terrible monster, but about being a good friend.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Readers of all ages will relate to the theme of this humorous picture book. This is a well-written book for children ages three to eight. Children and adults will make a connection with Leonardo and Sam. From this book, children will learn about problem solving, friendship, and feelings. Readers will identify with Leonardo’s characters’ transformation. My second grade students could identify with Sam. One of my students said, “This story is about a boy monster that tries to make himself feel good by making someone else feel badly about himself.”
Mo Willems’ use of line, shape, color, and composition is superb. His use of line directs the reader’s attention to the large print on one page and the character or characters on the other page. Willems’ use of shape is simple. His characters and words are easily identifiable. His use of grayish pastels are visually appealing to his readers. Finally, object dominance is excellent. The words are very few with the focus on either the large print and small characters or the large character and small print.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Joseph Beth Book of the Year
Time Magazine Top 10 Children’s Book
New York Times Bestseller
A 2006 ALA Notable Children’s Book
USA Today Best Book
Child Magazine Best Book
Book Sense Book of the Year Honor
Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best
CCBC Choices Book
School Library Journal Best Book
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award Winner
Nick Jr. Magazine Best Book of the Year
Starred review in Booklist: “Your Pal, Mo Willems,” as the cover reads, offers a simple message-driven, elevated by a smart, striking design.”
Starred review in Library Journal: “[Leonardo’s] antics to to produce a scare will have youngsters laughing, while the asterisk next to the number of monster Tony’s teeth ( *note: not all teeth shown) will have grown-ups chuckling, too. A surefire hit.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Have a class discussion about friendship. On chart paper, write a list of good qualities of a friend.
*Give students art paper and have them draw a picture of their favorite part of the story and write why it’s their favorite.
Students may share their illustrations and composition with the class.
*Other books for children about friendship:
Raschka, Chris. YO! YES!. ISBN 0439921856
Rathmann, Peggy. OFFICER BUCKLE AND GLORIA. ISBN 0-590-76715-1
Henkes, Kevin. A WEEKEND WITH WENDELL. ISBN 0688140246
Keller, Laurie. ARNIE THE DOUGHNUT. ISBN 0805062831
