Monster Needs One More! by Natalie Marshall

Monster Needs One More! appears to be the second monster book by Natalie Marshall, following up Monster, Be Good! This time the monsters are back, and I would say they are even cuter. They are all looking for one more of something, one more cookie, one more teddy bear.

That said, like the last book, I adored the illustrations and I think they would greatly appeal to young children, but had an issue with the text. These are all monsters saying they NEED one more. They are grouchy or not-so-happy monsters, and it is only getting more (often things like candy or cookies) that cheers them up, and it's not because they are hungry, it's just because they need one more. It's a message I'm not entirely convinced by. That said, Monster Needs One More! ends with the monster needing one more kiss goodnight, which is absolutely adorable.

Although the counting aspect of Monster Needs One More! is good for helping kids learn, the book also rhymes and I think that causes it to be confusing at times, because there is always a sentence that rhymes with the number before it finishes doing the math. For example, "Another beach ball! Like the water? Can you dive? I had four. Now I have five." I think it would be easier for kids to follow if the math immediately followed the monster asking for more. 

Ultimately, Monster Needs One More! had some flaws in the writing that make me hesitant to recommend it, as adorable as the illustrations are. I definitely hope for more monsters from Natalie Marshall in the future, they are so cute!

Release Date: August 27th, 2013  Pages: 24 Format: Hardcover

Source: Publisher  Publisher: Blue Apple Books  Buy It: Book Depository

Monster, Be Good! by Natalie Marshall

I definitely picked up Monster, Be Good! because of the illustrations by Natalie Marshall, and they did not disappoint. This is a book with bright, clear, large illustrations of adorable monsters. I think it would definitely keep the attention of a young child. It also has very little text on each page which means there aren't tiny, distracting words that are difficult to read.

The point of Monsters, Be Good! is to remind children that they are in charge of the monsters, and "if a monster is selfish, say, "TAKE TURNS!" ". It's a message that makes sense, reminding them they have nothing to be scared of, but I wasn't a huge fan of the way it was portrayed. I get that the monsters are doing something wrong and should be corrected, but I thought it came across too bossy and that lost some of the fun of the book. With such colourful drawings, I really expected expected the book to come across a little less angry.

Overall, I really liked the message not to be scared of monsters, and I thought the colourful drawings helped with that but for me, Monsters, Be Good! is definitely a book where the illustrations far outshine the text.

Release Date: February 26th, 2013  Pages: 28 Format: Hardcover

Source: Publisher  Publisher: Blue Apple Books  Buy It: Book Depository