Even Monsters Go to School

PreS-Gr 1–On the first day of school, the little blue, furry monster child from Even Monsters Go to Sleep, trudges downstairs to breakfast. Dad regales his reluctant pupil with exuberant descriptions of how other monsters are enjoying their big day: Bigfoot hops onto a yellow bus and gives a thumbs up from the back window; Frankenstein’s brand-new jacket and cool, platform, metal-studded sneakers garner admiring glances from his classmates; and tousled-haired Troll has a ball at recess, playing tag with billy goats. Each fun-filled scene is relayed in jaunty, rhyming verse with a repeated concluding line that names the individual monster showcased and delivers the message that “Even [“Yeti”, “Nessie”, “giants” etc.] go to school.” Van Dusen’s colorful, gouache illustrations are packed with comical details, like three-eyed aliens who “go gaga over school supplies” and chow down on crayons and massage glue onto their noggins. By the time breakfast is eaten and fangs are brushed, the formerly hesitant child eagerly embraces “the rule … All little monsters go to school.”