Marlow and the Monster by Sharon Cramer

There's a monster who crawls backwards into Marlow's room. He keeps coming in and Marlow is tired of it! He tries to tell his mom, but she just tells him to pick up his dirty laundry. He tries to tell his dad, but his dad says monsters aren't real. Marlow doesn't know what he's going to do! It's up to his sister Sarah to find a way to deal with this monster.

There are so many great stories based on the idea of a kid telling his/her oblivious parents about something that they can't understand. This book can lead to a lot of great conversations for caregivers and kids: do you think monsters are real? Why do you think Marlow's parents didn't believe him? Have you ever thought one way about something and then changed your mind? There are some great story threads running through it, particularly around friendship, making friends, first impressions, and telling the truth. I love the way that the Monster is shown. The style of the black-and-white illustrations didn't stand out for me (they had incredible detail but seemed to fade into the background), but the pictures of the monster completely steal the show (particularly the spread of the Monster peeking out between the legs of Marlow and his mother). Add him to the list of picture book characters that I would love to see as a plush toy.

Note: My review is based on a galley with only part of the illustrations; I have not seen a final copy of the book.

Marlow and the Monster won't be released until July 1, 2012, but you can get a sneak peek at the book and some of the illustration at the Talking Bird Books website.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley courtesy of B&F Publishing/Talking Bird Books.

Read it with:
Marlowe the Monster by Shing Yin Khor
Is a Worry Worrying You? by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
There's an Alligator Under My Bed by Mercer Mayer