The Pruwahaha Monster

PreS-Gr 2—This unique and quirky import from Belgium tells the story of a happy-go-lucky boy and the mysterious monster who cannot succeed in scaring him. A town's local monster oversleeps and wakes up famished for a favorite treat of all monsters—little children! It finds a joyful boy playing on the swings with his father, but cannot make him bat even an eye with its horrible howl of "pruwahaha!" Determining that it is an "old relic," the monster returns to its cottage, unsatisfied and embarrassed, and "no one knows" whether it woke up again. Mulders has a way with descriptive language, with such details as the monster's "spit smelling of cauliflower and sweaty socks," as well as a clear storyteller's voice and suspenseful pacing. Graphic design duo Maes and Braekers create beautifully detailed patterns of trees and leaves that look like old-fashioned textiles. Their palette consists of dull greens and salmon, and the deliberately spare composition of most pages is effective and visually pleasing. The smiling child and romping forest creatures are drawn adorably and simply. The monster is never fully depicted, only as willowy shadows and silhouettes, the same shadows cast on the last page by the father and his scarf. This allusion, as well as the unknown fate of the monster, puts the tale slightly on the confusing side of mysterious.