Genre 1: Leonardo the Terrible Monster

Willems, Mo. 2005. Leonardo the Terrible Monster. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0786852941.

Plot Summary

Leonardo the Monster is feeling dejected as he is terrible at scaring anyone. He has none of the trademark features requisite of monsters. He lacks size, enough teeth, and the "just plain weird" qualities of other monsters. In a stroke of genius, he decides to find the "most scaredy-cat kid" to scare. As luck would have it, he chooses Sam, who bursts into tears when Leonardo jumps out to scare him. Sam lists the many reasons for his tears, not one having to do with Leonardo's monster skills. In the end, the two become friends, and Leonardo discovers it's much more fun to be a wonderful friend than a terrible monster.

Critical Analysis

As a former writer for Sesame Street, Mo Willems knows just what appeals to small children, and he hits the nail on the head with this simplistic tale of Leonardo, a very unscary monster. Willems uses muted colors, large, ornate fonts, and lots of empty space to create his endearing tale. For much of the story, Leonardo is depicted as a small character at the bottom of the pages, however, when he makes his all-important decision to be a friend to Sam, Leonardo fills two pages.

Though the pages lack colorful backgrounds, the monsters themselves are detailed enough to keep the reader's attention. Willem's details range from an asterisk to denote a monster with more teeth than what is shown to a monster with an earring, and another with an ankle bracelet. As Leonardo conducts his research for the perfect victim, readers are treated to books, file folders, an over-flowing waste paper basket, and crossed out candidates.

Willems use of large lettering in fancy font with all capital letters and random words printed in off-setting colors creates an easy to read story that appeals to all ages. His use of phrases such as "the most scaredy-cat kid" and "scare the tuna salad out of him" will certainly appeal to younger children. Of course the life lesson revealed at the end of the story is one that will surely please parents.

Review Excerpts

Booklist:
""Your Pal, Mo Willems,"as the cover reads, offers a simple message-driven story, elevated by a smart, striking design."

A Starred review from School Library Journal: "A surefire hit."

Horn Book Starred Review: "Willems's theatrical story plays out on tall, uncluttered, muted-color pages."

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."

Connections

~Identify cause and effect relationships throughout the story, specifically Sam's explanation for his tears.

~Make paper bag monster puppets to reenact this story. Children can draw and color small lunch bags and work in pairs to recreate the dialogue between Leonardo and Sam. Have students continue the story. What new adventures will the two characters encounter?

Related Books

Other Books by Mo Willems:
Edwina the Dinosaur That Didn’t Know She Was Extinct. Hyperion, 2006.
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. Hyperion, 2004.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Hyperion, 2003.

Other Cause and Effect Books:
Aardema,Verna. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears. Dial Books, 1975.
Carle, Eric. The Grouchy Lady Bug. Harper Collins, 1976.
Noble, Trinka Hakes. The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash. Dial Press, 1980.
Numeroff, Laura. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Harper&Row, 1985.

Book cover art from http://www.librarything.com/.