This Monster Cannot Wait!

PreS-Gr 1—Stewart, introduced in This Monster Needs a Haircut (Dial, 2012), returns to learn a lesson about patience. Looking forward to vacation, he wishes he could make time go faster. Although his mom tries to teach him that good things come to those who wait, he wants to go camping "NOW!" In despair, he asks his dad, "I'm never going camping, am I…? When he realizes that the picture book he is in will conclude with the much-anticipated trip, he tries to move the story along by tearing at the pages, and he receives a time-out from his parents. At school, Stewart's friend Feliz says she does not want vacation time to arrive because she'll miss all her classmates. Stewart tells her, "You're so worried about next week that you're missing right now!!" The impatient monster admits that he, too, should make the most of the present. When the big day finally arrives, he shouts, "It was totally worth the wait." The sprawling text printed in capital letters emphasizes Stewart's impatience, and the quirky ink and Photoshop illustrations add many humorous moments to the story. The spread portraying the camping trip is especially striking: the glory of the natural setting provides a beautiful backdrop for Stewart and Feliz as they toast marshmallows. Pair this lighthearted lesson with another amusing monster-centered story, Kent Redeker's Don't Squish the Sasquatch! (Hyperion, 2012).—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA