Such lively art! The colors were lovely and the message tender. I liked how the art bled across the centerfold, drawing the eye onward. Reading this book made me want to pick up some art supplies and create my own monsterpiece! This book is perfect for inspiring creativity.

5★
“I want to make the scariest monster ever.
It’s going to have a long, green tongue.
It will be my monster masterpiece.
MY MONSTERPIECE!”

This is a wonderful, bright, inventive little book that’s going to make children (and whoever’s handy to help) get itchy to go to work with paper and scissors and glue and lots and lots of colour!

My Goodreads review includes a picture with the caption:
“I sneak up on Mom, who’s munching on a chocolate chip cookie, and. . . “

So . . . sneaking up on someone with a cookie. Will she scream? Drop her cookie?
RAHHHHH!

My Goodreads review includes a picture with the caption:
“‘I love this chubby kitty,’ Mom says. . . . ….GRRRRR

Well, that didn’t have the desired effect, so our junior artist has another idea. An attempt to scare Dad, who’s eating popcorn, is equally devastating. Dad thinks the monster with pointy horns is an owl. Back to the drawing board.

Maybe sister Sue will be an easier target with a creepy monster with sharp teeth.
RAHHHHHHH! No luck. She draws purple wings on the monster.

My Goodreads review includes a picture with the caption:
“‘It’s so cute’, she says. ‘Is it the tooth fairy?’ . . . . . . GRRRRR”

When a friend laughs at yet another monster, it’s time to rethink. Maybe monsters aren’t so scary after all. Maybe there are monsters who like chocolate chip cookies and popcorn!

My Goodreads review includes a picture with the caption:
Monsters who eat chocolate chip cookies and popcorn

Maybe there is a monster who likes to make pictures of scary kids. After all, kids like to brush their teeth and can’t fly, and they sleep at night. Maybe the monster tries to scare somebody, too.

RAHHHHHHHH!

My Goodreads review includes a picture with the caption:
“What if his mom loves it? And his dad asks to hang it in his office?”

The monster goes to the library and borrows some books with lots of pictures of kids. The monster thinks about it.

“What if kids are just as fun as monsters.”

My Goodreads review includes a picture with the caption:
Handmade frame of a picture of friends, a monster and a kid playing ball

No two monsters or kids look the same. Everybody is different and bright and lively and they play together. It’s also good to know that everybody imagines their own monsters, and they aren’t necessarily scary to someone else. In this story, the monster went to the library to find out about someone who was different. It stopped them being scared.

It’s a very simple book, but it’s going to stir up the creative juices as well as slip in some important messages that parents and teachers can work with. Love it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Yeehoo Press for the preview copy.

This book is an adorable children's picture book with mixed media illustrations that tell the story of a child who is trying to draw a monster that will scare his family. There's just one problem- every time he shows a family member his monster, they laugh! Will he ever be able to draw a monster that will make his family run in fear? Or will he realize that maybe monsters don't have to be scary.

I loved the illustrations on each pages and feel like the mixed media aspect draws attention to details that may have been missed otherwise. This book tells a fantastic story and inspires children to create in any way they choose.

What I personally loved about this book very much is the potential for creative project to develop. Each and every piece of monster is an inspiration for collage and other creative ideas using various materials in building different - obviously scary - monsters. The story is also funny, suited for pre-school active children. As it has a relatively simple vocabulary, it can be used as well as a reading-in-process tool for first graders. Overall, a recommended book, simple in its structure and educational yet with pleasant illustrations.

I was on the fence out this book, because I was hesitant about the illustration style, but I ended up really enjoying it. The poor narrator just can't seem to draw a scary monster. I really appreciated that even though his mom, dad, sister, and friend didn't see a scary monster when they looked at his art, they still gave very positive feedback. That positivity is what allowed the narrator to create his monsterpiece in the end.

Review: A fun story about art, when people don’t react the way you think they should. The pages feature bold, colorful illustrations that encourage children to imagine what their monsterpiece art would look like. The colorful artwork is juxtaposed with realistic parts, like chocolate chip cookies, paintbrushes, and sand. Recommended for any littles who love art.

Note: I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Yeehoo Press for access to this arc.

Has any child ever proudly presented you with a piece of artwork which you then scrambled to try and figure out what it is? And then you guessed wrong? Despite the fact that the child yelled “RAHHHHHH!” or “GRRRRRRR!” Or that they made it bright and colorful with horns or pointy teeth and claws or a long tongue? Each time this child creates a wonderful drawing and decorates it with string, yarn, fruit loop-esque cereal, raffia, or paint – no one gets that it’s supposed to be not just a monster but a monsterpiece. But maybe monsters aren’t all supposed to be scary. Perhaps they can do fun things and enjoy getting along?

The illustrations are amazing and fun and not bad enough to scare children. In fact they just might inspire your child to present you with something as they yell RAHHHHHH! or GRRRRR! B

This was the most adorable book. I’m a sucker for all things monsters so this immediately caught my eye. The illustrations were beautiful and fun and the story was so cute. It reminded me of Uni the Unicorn book where we try to picture monsters (or unicorns) doing the same thing people do and thinking of them in the same way. It was delightful and all my kids loved this book!

#mymonsterpiece #netgalley #arc #review #ameliahoffman #book #books #kidbooks #bookreview

If you like Tome Fletcher, you'll love Amelia Hoffman
I absolutely loved this book. I am going to be reading this to my class as soon as I can and would recommend it for anyone to buy. The different monsters are creative and the book could be used for children to create their own monster to describe to others as a writing task.

I received an ARC of this title courtesy of #Netgalley, Amalia Hoffman and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. It had a colourful first cover and I expected it to be a children's art book. The illustrations are those of a child's perspective but I didn't appreciate them as choices for the book. They were very vibrant and I can see how they will appeal to younger children enjoying their bedtime story. However, I cam away from the book thinking what was the point. A monster draws monster pictures but its family members mistake the images for not so threatening monsters.

A great bedtime read but teaches nothing. I rate this title a 3/5.

My Monsterpiece is an adorable illustrated story aimed at preschool to young readers. Due out 2nd March 2021 from Yeehoo Press, it's 40 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is a beautifully illustrated little book which will provide hours of inspiration for art and discussion. The youngest readers will enjoy the cute pictures and story (with ample scope for different silly voices and faces) as well as providing lots of good prompts for art practice. Older kids will appreciate the message of understanding and the subjectivity of art interpretation and experiencing art.

I loved that the art is in lots of styles as well as being made with different media - found objects, collage, paint, drawing, papercrafts, and more. This would be a superlative selection for library or classroom acquisition as well as home library. Five stars. Lots of good takeaways here.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

My Monsterpiece by Amalia Hoffman is a picturebook currently scheduled for release on March 2 2021. Have you ever tried to make the meanest, wildest, scariest monster? What if even a green tongue, pointy horns, creepy sharp teeth, and claws won’t frighten anyone away? Join the frustrated artist on an adventure where the scary and not scary mingle and lead to the discovery that overcoming fear and prejudice can bring about a wonderful friendship.

My Monsterpiece is a bright and entertaining read. I liked that the art looked like the art of the child artist at the heart of the story. There are many media used, drawings as well as construction paper and words in the art. I thought that the text and art had a good balance, the eye was continuously taking in new bits of detail while not loosing the text and the larger story. I liked that there was some critical thinking, not just how can I draw something scarier because I cannot seem to- but understanding that maybe monsters do not need to be scary and can be just like people you know, while just being a little different, and that monsters just might be scared of us. The bright colors, inclusive storyline, and fun words to say, like grrr, also make this a good read aloud to share and to start an art project and discussion about the ideas of the book.

A fun read about a frustrated artist who is tries to draw a scary monster in an attempt to scare those around him, but fails to scare them. Join him on his wild imaginations.


Thank you NetGalley and YeeHoo press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Monsterpiece is a fun book showcasing the fact that art is subjective to the viewer while illustrating the book itself using art mediums not normally seen as "illustration" tools. Its message is clear and concise, promoting not just being artistic but acknowledging the views of others. The one big missed opportunity with this book is that the font and the words weren't somehow included in the art itself. Seeing an individualized font here would've pushed the book to new heights.

Disclaimer: I reviewed this book using a digital galley from NetGalley

Very cute story for children. My granddaughter loved it.

A story of a child who wants to scare his family by drawing a scary picture, but when no one is afraid of his drawing and instead loves it he decides that maybe he can just draw for fun. More happens along the way but I didn't want to give you everything.

What is a monster? Who says something is a monster? In this charming picture book, a child tries to create scary monsters, only to have their parents and their siblings see them as non-threatening things. This makes the child wonder what Monsters think of them, and perhaps that a child is the most scary thing of all for a monster. The artwork is delightful. The child's way of thinking a treat. It is a fun book.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Lovely book about a kid who is trying to make scary monsters so scare his family but they just find the pictures cute. Beautiful and vibrate illustrations. My children loved it and went to make their own monsters soon after reading.

These illustrations are beautiful! While trying to make a scary monster, it just won't scare anything! So he decides to make fun monsters inspired by his family and friends. Perfect for a kickoff for kids drawing their own monsters.

This charming children's book by Amalia Hoffman is about a boy who wants to draw a scary monster masterpiece - or as he calls it a "monsterpiece" - to scare his mom, dad, sister and best friend. The only problem with his plan is that no matter which version of monster he tries to scare someone with, everyone thinks it's cute or funny! The sharp teeth, long green tongue, pointy horns, claws ... none of them bring anything other than a smile or laugh.

Well this leads him to an epiphany: What if monsters don't have to be scary? What if they like the same things we do?

Or maybe ...

What if they think WE'RE scary and want to draw pictures of US to scare their family and friends? And what if they decide we don't have to be scary either?

I teach reading to young children, and if I showed the kids at school this story with monsters and brightly colored pictures, they'd eat it up! You can never go wrong with monsters (despite every parent needing to check under their kids' beds for them). Luckily, this story also teaches a valuable lesson about inclusivity and friendship, and about overcoming our assumptions and biases about those who are different.

Hoffman's mixed media, hand-drawn cutout monsters really are quite cute. If my own kids were still young and had drawn those, they'd be hanging on my refrigerator bringing a smile to my face too.

★★★★★

#mymonsterpiece #NetGalley

The artwork in this book really makes the story come to life. The pictures put the reader inside the mind of the narrator, a kid who just wants to make a really scary monster, but has to adjust their expectations. When they try to scare the people in their life, their monsters turn out to not be so scary. The message is sneaky here: it's all about perspective. It's so easy for us, especially as young people, to get trapped in our goals, our perceptions, our view of things. But in order to really create amazing things and live as our authentic selves, sometimes we have to learn what it's like in someone else's shoes. At least, that's what I got out of this book. I'm sure someone else might get something different out of it. Which, again, is why I thought this book was so impactful.