Blue Monster

Blue Monster wants to play with Rabbit, but Rabbit is fast asleep and doesn't want to play so Blue Monster swallows her. When challenged about his behaviour, he then swallows more animals in an attempt to cover up what he has done. Left with no one to play with, Blue Monster feels very sad, lonely and very, very guilty. When he yawns, all the animals manage to clamber out of his open mouth. Will Blue Monster see the error of his ways- and will he be forgiven?‘

Blue Monster is definitely a surprising story! It is a book about friendship and how sometimes, things can go wrong and cause problems. Blue Monster, like many young children, wants to have things his own way and when Rabbit disagrees with him, Blue Monster reacts badly. In the story, this is taken to the extreme of Rabbit being eaten - something which a child would never do - but this extreme reaction is sure to cause gasps and giggles of surprise, making it easier to then have discussions about whatever it was a child might have done to a friend. Similarly, Blue Monster’s attempts to cover up his faux-pax shows how this can only make a situation far worse!

By the end of the story, Blue Monster has learned his lesson and been forgiven by his friends and readers will have developed an affection for this impulsive creature, helped by Petr Horáček's gorgeous illustrations, which bring him and the other animals to life. ‎

40 pages / Ages 4+ / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 5+