Leonardo, the Terrible Monster (known on the front cover as Your Pal Mo Willems Presents: Leonardo, the Terrible Monster) is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Mo Willems. An ALA Notable Book, it was released in 2005 by Hyperion Books.[1] In 2007, Weston Woods adapted the book to an animated film, directed by Pete List.[2]
 Front cover, designed by Mo Willems | |
| Author | Mo Willems |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Willems |
| Language | English |
| Genre | children's books picture books |
| Publisher | Hyperion Books |
Publication date | 2005 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 44 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7868-5294-9 |
| OCLC | 60822832 |
| [E] 22 | |
| LC Class | PZ7.W65535 You 2005 |
Plot
editLeonardo is truly a terrible monster - terrible at being a monster, that is. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to frighten anyone. Determined to succeed, Leonardo sets himself to training and research. Finally, he finds a nervous little boy, and scares the tuna salad out of him! But scaring people isn't quite as satisfying as he thought it would be. Leonardo realizes that he might be a terrible, awful monster-but he could be a really good friend.
Reception
editKirkus Reviews called it a "sweetly original morality play about a very unscary monster",[3] while Publishers Weekly wrote " Willems's (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! ) finale feels apt but syrupy; Leonardo's decision to be nice seems homiletic. Yet this is an appealing book, sketched in dark brown against grayish pastel backdrops, with evergreen lettering and highlighted keywords."[4]
It is listed in the 2009 literary reference book 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.
Sequel
editIn 2017, the sequel, Sam, the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World, was released.[5]
References
edit- ^ Your pal Mo Willems presents Leonardo, the Terrible Monster at WorldCat
- ^ "Leonardo The Terrible Monster | The Scholastic Teacher Store". shop.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ "LEONARDO, THE TERRIBLE MONSTER | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ "Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Willems, Mo (2017). Your pal Mo Willems presents Sam, the most scaredy-cat kid in the whole world (First ed.). New York: Disney-Hyperion. ISBN 978-1-368-00214-1.
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