Monstergarten

PreS-Gr 1—Monster Patrick is afraid he is not going to be scary enough for monstergarten. His friend Kevin promises to help him because he is "an expert at being scary." The two practice with limited success, then Patrick's parents reassure him that school will be fine if he is just himself. On the first day, all goes well, but it takes a little scare from him to get Kevin pried away from a parental leg. At that point, they decide they love monstergarten. The loosely outlined, blobby-looking, brightly colored characters are appealing enough and vaguely reminiscent of Mo Willems's monsters. Appearing on mostly white backgrounds, in a variety of spot-art scenes, the characters are funny and not particularly scary. The writing is clear, if uninspired, but the story breaks no new ground, and the abrupt ending does nothing to help anxious youngsters understand what to expect in kindergarten, or why it is fun. The idea of using monsters as stand-ins for dealing with fears has been done with success in the past, but the minimal story here, and the lack of any real coping mechanisms for readers, makes this attempt fall flat.—Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT