A Monster Moved In!

PreS-K—It's raining, and Ben is bored. His dad suggests reading or searching for dragons. His mom offers up the idea of making a rocket. None of these suggestions appeal to Ben. Instead, he comes up with the idea to build an indoor fort. With big smiles on their faces, his parents reply in unison, "But a monster might move in!" Ben is doubtful that will happen. And for a long time it doesn't. It's pretty uneventful as Ben imagines himself in roles like a pirate or knight—soon he begins to hope a monster would move in. Poof! Turn the page and meet Burple, the cute monster sporting a T-shirt and sneakers. The friendship between Ben and Burple starts slowly. But that changes when they team up for adventures that include building a rocket from a vacuum cleaner. Since the cover of the book shows Ben and Burple sitting next to each with smiles on their face, it's no surprise when they become friends. However, this is a book that lends itself to discussion and asking children predictive questions. Illustrations are colorful and cartoonlike. Children will relate to the issue of boredom when real friends are not available for play dates.