M is for Monster...

M is for Monster - good and bad!

Lee, Sally O.
Is There a Monster Over There?
February 2010.
CreateSpace.
Review copy provided courtesy of author.

For as long as little Mabel could remember, she was afraid of monsters - monsters under the bed, outside the window, behind the door, at the foot of the bed. Mabel and her cat, Tiffany, did everything they could think of to keep the monsters out... until one day, (perhaps Mabel was growing up) Mabel thought that maybe monsters weren't scary at all. Upon pondering this discovery, Mabel decides to befriend the monster that has tormented her over the years and comes to discover that the monster might even be able to be her friend!

This is a wonderful story for young children, especially if they are going through a phase in which they might be scared of monsters, as it validates their scared feelings, but also gives them a positive aspect at which to look at monsters! This is definitely a book I'll be using with my preschoolers next year during "M Week"!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Have your child create a monster using the "Create a Monster" game found here. Be sure to save the monster and print it out for him/her! Then, ask him/her to write a short "scary" monster story (or tell a story if they are too little to write one). Once they write (or tell) the "scary" monster story, ask them to think about what they learned from Mabel in Is There a Monster Over There?. If he/she forgets that Mabel learned that the monster could be her friend, reread the story and then discuss what Mabel discovered. Then, ask your child(ren) to again, write another story about that same monster they created. Only this time, ask your child to keep in mind that the monster can also be their friend! It will be interesting to see how your child approaches addressing these two very different feelings towards his/her monster!
  

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