13 Monsters Who Should Be Avoided
*Scarce Sissyfoos: they live in dark wells by old country roads and dine on wet sneakers and unluck toads;
*Mess Monsters: they should not be let in in; they’ll paint pudding pie murals depicting a pig, stick bubble-gum wads in your aunt’s silver wig, cut paper dolls out of your dinosaur poster, and pour maple syrup into the toaster.
*Hedge-Standing Snit: be extremely careful while clipping your hedges–don’t snip a Snit’s hair with your clipper edges, for a fit-throwing Snit can be greatly unkind, and won’t be content until he’s bit your behind!
Author’s Note:
All monsters portrayed in this book are real. Any resemblance to imaginary monsters, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Age 6-10
“First-timer Austin’s illustrations have a surreal edginess, both in the style typified by elongated shapes, skewed angles and contorted shadows, and in the intriguingly irradiated palette in shades of vermilion, Day-Glo yellow and black-light green (his three-headed ‘Ralph, Ed and Joe’ sporting a ‘Kiss the Cooks’ apron is a highlight).”
— Publishers Weekly
“Michael Austin’s dark-toned pictures mix the surreal and the funny, and the occasional neon tinge leaves a suitably ghastly impression.”
— Washington Parent
“The dark, rich oversized illustrations are wittily frightening and the poems are cleverly rhymed and linguistically grand.”
— Judy Katsh–Children’s Literature