Review #76: Mostly Monsterly

Gracie (age 10):  "Mostly Monsterly" by Tammi Sauer and Scott Magoon.
Lily (age 7):  It's cute.
Gracie:  Hilarious.
Lily:  Bernadette is a monster who isn't very much like a monster.  She could be like a monster, but she doesn't want to be like a monster.
Gracie:  She's blue with freaky hair and really big eyes.  And horns.  And fangs.  She's cute.  For a monster.  But if I saw a kid like that, I'd freak out.
Isaac (age 12):  She can be mean like a monster, but she also likes to do other stuff.  Like picking flowers and making cupcakes and singing songs.  She doesn't really have feelings like a monster.
Gracie:  The book says that Bernadette was nervous when she got to her new school.  But anyone would be nervous at that school.  There are teeth on the gate.
Isaac:  At the monster school she messes everything up.
Gracie:  She's really nice even though she's supposed to be gross.  Nobody likes her because she's not gross.  She sings "Love Me Tender" and gives everyone cupcakes.  But the monsters are like, "Ew! Yuck!"
Lily:  She's too nice.  Everyone else is mean because they are monsters.  Monsters like to eat and growl and scratch.  They like to eat eyeballs.
Gracie:  And bug parts.
Lily:  And fish heads dipped in goo.
Isaac:  Gut blubber.
Dad:  Yech.
Gracie:  Finally she makes everyone cards.  But they are yucky cards, so everyone gives her a big piled-up group hug.  Everybody is dog-piling on top of her.  I think that picture is awesome because there are so many monsters.
Dad:  What did you think about the writing in this book?
Gracie:  The story is hilarious.
Dad:  What's hilarious about it?
Gracie:  Fried snail goo.
Lily:  Eyeball guts.
Gracie:  Eyeballs dipped in hotsauce.
Dad:  Hilarious?  Or disgusting?
Isaac:  Hilarious because it's disgusting.
Dad:  What did you think of the illustrations in this book?
Isaac:  The art is cartoony and simplified.  But not to the point where it is too simple.  Like, the illustrator doesn't really blend the colors together.  They're flat.
Gracie:  But he also puts in lots of details.  Like, you can see the little strands of hair and the little fur on her hands and tail.
Isaac:  So some parts are simplified and some parts are --
Gracie:  Compli-fied.
Dad:  What did you think of the art, Lily?
Lily:  The monsters don't have too big of heads.  Except for one guy.
Gracie:  The monster designs are cute.
Dad:  Do you have a favorite creature?
Lily:  Bernadette is my favorite.
Isaac:  I love that guy!  Goat weirdie!  Goat weirdie!
Gracie:  My favorite guy is a little yellow circle with fly's wings.  One eye.  No mouth.
Isaac:  It's a one-eyed bumblebee.
Lily:  It's cute.
Isaac:  A monster can be anything.
Lily:  What if you could make yourself into whatever kind of monster you wanted to?
Isaac:  My hands would be covered in those little sticky pads like lizards or salamanders have so I could climb up walls.  And I would have horns.  And an extra arm.
Gracie:  I'd give myself 12 arms.
Lily:  I'd make myself just like that little bumblebee thingie.
Gracie:  I love Bernadette's personality.  You can connect to Bernadette.  Actually, each monster has its own personality.  Everyone can find one to connect to.
Dad:  Why, which monster are you most like?
Gracie:  That little bug thing.
Dad:  So guys, how would you sum up this book?
Isaac:  The writing is a mash of monsterlicious mayhem.
Dad:  And the art style?
Gracie:  It's pretty awesome.  It makes my eyes pop right out of my head.
Dad:  The monsters should like that.  Then they can have a snack.
Gracie:  Oh.  Yuck.

Lily meets a monster, by Lily

Goat Weirdie and a scary cupcake, by Isaac

Bernadette and little Bug Thing, by Gracie

Author: Tammi Sauer
Illustrator: Scott Magoon
Published, 2010: Simon and Schuster
Like it?  Here it is