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LEONARDO THE TERRIBLE MONSTER

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Willems, Mo. 2005. LEONARDO THE TERRIBLE MONSTER New York City, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786852941

2.  PLOT SUMMARY
Fans of Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak will fall for Leonardo, the terrible monster who is decidedly unscary. The premise of the story is Leonardo’s lament at his failure to scare. He goes on a quest to find “the most scaredy-cat kid in the whole world.” His research brings him to Sam, who responds with a tear after Leonardo’s best monster fits. Success! But was it Leonardo who made Sam cry? Indeed, no. In response to the unscary scare, Sam lets out a torrent of his own; when Leonardo hears about Sam’s horrible day, he gives up his scarequest and chooses friendship instead. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
What a treat for kids of all ages! Mo Willems does it again by bringing a character to life who is both funny and endearing. This is Mo at his best - capturing the heart of the reader as we journey along with Leonardo the Terrible Monster. In the process, Leonardo learns that scaring might not be the worthiest goal, after all. This is a great book for the pre-school set, in particular, who can sometimes grapple with a fear of monsters. Leonardo is a safe monster to love. For older kids, the geometry shines through in Mo Willems’ illustrations, which lend themselves to an easy study of shape attributes and drawing.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY “Leonardo accurately mimics a child's frustration at not being taken seriously; Willems suggests trying kindness to get attention.”
KIRKUS REVIEW: “With a palette straight from the endpapers of Where the Wild Things Are, and postures not a little reminiscent of Max, Willems crafts a sweetly original morality play about a very unscary monster.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Themes: friendship, kindness, and jumping to conclusions.
*For classroom teachers, homeschoolers and parents who just love to share reading, conduct an author study of Mo Willems, then compare two beloved characters: Leonardo and Pigeon.
*Visit Mo Willems web site to learn about the author. There are writing tips, games and a link to his blog.
*Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Book, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

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