From the very first page, my kids reacted with facial expressions that were hilarious as we explored this story. The early reference to dining on eyeball soup still resonates with them and comes up in conversations long since our last reading of this great book. As we continued to read further, we followed the little green monster on his quest to find his missing "M".
While his "M" is missing, the associated lack of "mean" causes some teasing by his monster friends and he decides to join the humans in their daily adventures. Now dubbed the Onster, his experiences with both his monster and human friends help him understand more about himself. The illustrations evoked emotion along with the story and distinctly complimented the text as we explored the book.
Comical, decidedly honest, sometimes sad, and other times downright funny, this story manages to help the Onster navigate what many children do themselves as they discover it's not a title that defines who we are, but the qualities that comprise who we are as individuals that make us our own. The book's message is empowering and well delivered even while touching on heavier subjects like peer pressure and exclusion. It was a delightful read all around and was greatly enjoyed by both my grade school and preschool aged kids.
As you may be aware, October is National Bullying Prevention Month. The Onster and his story provide a magnificent example of how "No Mean" can benefit oneself and those around us. "Make the pledge to be an ONSTER. Not a MONSTER!"
Thanks to Tiffany Strelitz Haber for providing copies of The Monster Who Lost His Mean for the purpose of this review. To find out more about the author or the book, please visit her website at this link.
Ready to get yourself a copy to share with your kids? Click here to for all of the online purchase links or pick up a copy at your local bookstore. There are also some great printable activity pages at that same link to compliment the story.
Giveaway:
One very lucky Macaroni Kid Lincroft-Holmdel-Tinton Falls subscriber will win an autographed copy of The Monster Who Lost His Mean by Tiffany Strelitz Haber. For your chance to win the autographed book, simply complete the entry form by clicking here. You can enter once per day until October 25th at 12 p.m. at which time the drawing will close. Good luck!
