PICTURE BOOK: I Loathe You by David Slonim

A cut little "I love you all the time" type story with a twist. The characters are monsters and they "loathe" one another rather than "love." The pictures are lovely and the twist is clever and fun for reading. We are David Slonim fans, having met him a few years ago when he came to talk to my Writing Club students about writing and illustrating. He's a funny guy who relates well with students, and this is a fun story. I can see reading this one to my kindergartners - although my fourth graders might like it, too, since they just had "loathe" as a vocabulary word!

TUESDAY: 100% Wolf

Freddy is a werewolf, about to transform for the first time in his life. No one expects him to transform into a poodle, though!

In this Cinderella story, Freddy lives with his rotten uncle and spoiled cousins who would love nothing more than to make Freddy disappear. When Freddy turns into a poodle, they finally get their chance. Now Freddy has to figure out how to survive life as a dog, how to turn back into a boy, and how to save his family from an obsessed werewolf hunter.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as I hoped to from the premise. The idea of a werewolf who turns into a poodle is pretty funny. The story was good, but not fantastic, for me. I would still recommend it to readers in this age group who enjoy monster stories that aren't too scary. I think they would enjoy Freddy's adventure.

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MONDAY: The Monster Who Ate my Peas

A boy has to eat his peas to get his dessert. But they are green... and slimy... and he just can't do it. A monster offers to do the job for him in exchange for the boy's brand new soccer ball. Once the peas - and the ball - are gone, the boy misses his ball and vows to never bargain with the monster again. But that vow is hard to keep while staring at a pile of slimy green peas. When the monster insists on a trade for the boy's favorite thing in the world, will he have the courage to turn the monster down?

I am very picky about the picture books I read and a lot of that pickiness has to do with the illustrations. The illustrations for The Monster Who Ate My Peas are generally not a style I like, but the story idea was so clever, I had to pick it up. The illustrations are a great fit for the story being told. I think kids would really enjoy this story! (Little Pea is a book I LOVE that relates to this same idea of kids not wanting to eat their vegetables. I reviewed it here. If you haven't read it, check it out!) 

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TUESDAY: Phineas and Ferb My Funny Valentine and Nelly the Monster Sitter

Petronella - or "Nelly" as she prefers to be called - has decided to do her part to be  neighborly and offer her services to the monsters in her neighborhood. She will be their monster-sitter. This allows the grown up monsters in her community to get out of the house once in awhile. Isn't Nelly great to offer such an important service?

But, as you might expect, monster-sitting is not as simple as Nelly might think.

Fun short stories about Nelly's adventures as a monster-sitter. Clever premise can appeal to girls and boys, especially those who might want to try monster-type stories that are more gentle than some of the vampire-fare that is available for older readers.
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Dr. Doofenshmirtz has stolen all of the Valentine's candy, flowers, and stuffed animals in an attempt to ruin Valentine's day and start "Broken Heart Day" instead. At the same time, Jeremy is in a bind because there's nothing he can buy for Candace for Valentine's Day. Can Phineas and Ferb save the day for Jeremy and Candace? Can Agent P save the day for the Tri-State Area?

Of course, Valentine's Day is saved for everyone. This is a fun Valentine's story for fans of the Disney Channel show, Phineas and Ferb. 

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