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Sketch Monsters #1
Sketch Monsters, Vol. 1: Escape of the Scribbles
Eight-year-old Mandy isn't what you'd call an emotional child. Whether at her own surprise birthday party, scoring the winning goal, or being stung by a bee, Mandy doesn't show her feelings. Instead she draws them as MONSTERS in her sketchbook! But one day her emotions run wild and those monsters escape! Mandy's only help catching them is an eccentric monster named Happster, who causes more problems than he solves. Can Mandy catch all the sketch monsters and return them to her sketchbook before they destroy her town?
48 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2011
12 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
April 20, 2017
it was just like... I think my little sis would like it more. very boring
December 29, 2015
Reviewed on 03/19/2012
This story is cute and sweet and a little scary, but not much.
Mandy is a girl that never shows any emotion.
Then her big sister goes away. Mandy loves her sister deeply and is suffering with this, but her face remains flat as an ironing board. So, so sad, right?
Her sister gives her a drawing book as a goodbye gift, so that Mandy could put there all her feelings, memories and whatever crosses her mind.
Mandy loved her gift and spent all her day drawing monsters on it. Monsters of all colors and sizes.
Nothing unusual there, right? Well, nothing until the monster decided to escape and run around.
Yep, the crap definitely hit the vent. And I loved every minute of it LoL
The drawings are wonderful and I spend most of the time drooling over it. The character are something else too. I know I’m grown up and all, but I love this book
*An ARC was kindly provided by the publisher. But this in no way influenced my views on this book. This is my honest review.*
This reading is part of the following Reading Challenges:
December 31, 2016
Mandy never shows emotion, so when her big sis goes off to college, she gives Mandy a sketchbook so Mandy can express herself. Mandy spends a day drawing her feelings as various monsters and that night they escape!
Mandy and her new monster buddy Happster have to track all of the emotion monsters down and get them back into her sketchbook. Along her journey Mandy learns that while showing her feelings in her sketchbook is good, it's just as much fun to show her feelings on the outside too!
The story boxes are logically placed so a first
I loved this graphic novel for children.
The bright colors throughout the book pop. The people are outlined in black lines making them easy to see. The monsters are all different colors and get into lots of different kinds of trouble.
The boxes are logically arranged so a first-time graphic novel reader can easily follow the story.
Looking forward to reading more in this series.
Mandy and her new monster buddy Happster have to track all of the emotion monsters down and get them back into her sketchbook. Along her journey Mandy learns that while showing her feelings in her sketchbook is good, it's just as much fun to show her feelings on the outside too!
The story boxes are logically placed so a first
I loved this graphic novel for children.
The bright colors throughout the book pop. The people are outlined in black lines making them easy to see. The monsters are all different colors and get into lots of different kinds of trouble.
The boxes are logically arranged so a first-time graphic novel reader can easily follow the story.
Looking forward to reading more in this series.
August 11, 2017
Eight-year-old Mandy doesn't show her feelings. Instead she draws them as monsters. One day the monsters escape and in order to get the to return to her sketchbook, Mandy has to show the monsters how she feels.
February 27, 2018
This was perfect for my six year old. He wouldn't come to dinner because he wanted to keep reading. I thought it was a nice way to explore feelings, and while it felt pretty shallow to me, it was just right for his level. I read it to my four year old, too.
May 22, 2021
A Book that will force you to go back to your Old times
The Author of the book has a good taste of sense of humour
The best thing I like in the book is the names of the monsters
The name of the monsters are based on the their behaviour
And that I like
The Author of the book has a good taste of sense of humour
The best thing I like in the book is the names of the monsters
The name of the monsters are based on the their behaviour
And that I like
June 10, 2017
3.5*
This was an enjoyable story. I'd like to read more of the series.
This was an enjoyable story. I'd like to read more of the series.
September 27, 2020
Pretty basic plot and not quite sure I agreed with the moral, to be quite honest.
February 13, 2021
Fantastic kids comic about emotions
May 24, 2021
Good one ☺️.
October 13, 2021
I read this for work, but it was a cute little story about expressing your feelings!
November 11, 2011
ARC provided by NetGalley
Mandy is your average typical girl, but she doesn’t like showing her emotions. Instead she draws them out in the sketchbook her sister gave her. Then one day...the sketches come to life! And they’re creating havoc all around around the neighborhood. What can Mandy do? With the help of one of the sketches Mandy begins to capture the escaped creations and come to term with her emotions.
This is a charming little story and I think it has a good purpose for getting kids to talk about their emotions and share what’s going on. I like the fact that Mandy is grounded in reality and that she learns as the story goes on. I love in particular the vitality that the monsters have. The writer does a great job of making it so that Mandy experiences the emotions, often in clever ways, before the monsters return to the book. My once concern is that it seems like they maybe gearing this to be a series, but I can’t really understand why. Not that it’s bad, it just doesn’t seem like they can continue it.
I love the artwork in this book. I can only imagine the joy that the artist had in creating these different monsters and drawing them. I can only imagine the challenges they must have had in drawing the same character over and over again (especially since some of them are sketchy in nature.) I especially love the deadpan expressions on Mandy’s face while everyone else celebrates. The colors are rich and vibrant and I like the vitality that the characters are given. Just a joy to look at.
I think this story would work fairly well for ages 3-8, especially for kids having trouble expressing their emotions or what they’re feeling after a particularly large event (death of a loved one, divorce of parents, etc.) Beyond the age of 8 I would think it would lose its effectiveness. And I’m not to sure why or how you could make this into a series, but at least this initial volume has some worth.
Mandy is your average typical girl, but she doesn’t like showing her emotions. Instead she draws them out in the sketchbook her sister gave her. Then one day...the sketches come to life! And they’re creating havoc all around around the neighborhood. What can Mandy do? With the help of one of the sketches Mandy begins to capture the escaped creations and come to term with her emotions.
This is a charming little story and I think it has a good purpose for getting kids to talk about their emotions and share what’s going on. I like the fact that Mandy is grounded in reality and that she learns as the story goes on. I love in particular the vitality that the monsters have. The writer does a great job of making it so that Mandy experiences the emotions, often in clever ways, before the monsters return to the book. My once concern is that it seems like they maybe gearing this to be a series, but I can’t really understand why. Not that it’s bad, it just doesn’t seem like they can continue it.
I love the artwork in this book. I can only imagine the joy that the artist had in creating these different monsters and drawing them. I can only imagine the challenges they must have had in drawing the same character over and over again (especially since some of them are sketchy in nature.) I especially love the deadpan expressions on Mandy’s face while everyone else celebrates. The colors are rich and vibrant and I like the vitality that the characters are given. Just a joy to look at.
I think this story would work fairly well for ages 3-8, especially for kids having trouble expressing their emotions or what they’re feeling after a particularly large event (death of a loved one, divorce of parents, etc.) Beyond the age of 8 I would think it would lose its effectiveness. And I’m not to sure why or how you could make this into a series, but at least this initial volume has some worth.
February 11, 2017
Cute, and a good story that teaches without being boring or condescending.
October 26, 2011
The story is a character education/psychological story about the importance of expressing one's emotions. This little gal uses sketches to expose her emotions which are visualized as monsters and run loose when not expressed freely and reasonably. While the story feels a little didactic, the illustrations are fun and the message a good one.
I would recommend using this one as a spark in creative writing lessons and as an introduction to the value of journalling. I imagine this book's ultimate strength will be in working with emotionally challenged children, as it is an encouraging tool for exploring and recognizing emotions.
I would recommend using this one as a spark in creative writing lessons and as an introduction to the value of journalling. I imagine this book's ultimate strength will be in working with emotionally challenged children, as it is an encouraging tool for exploring and recognizing emotions.
September 1, 2016
ARC provided by NetGalley
Mandy is a closed-off little girl who doesn't show her feelings. When her sister leaves for school, she gives Mandy a sketchbook. Mandy fills it with drawings of monsters, but they get out and wreak havoc on the town. Only when Mandy can show an emotion will the corresponding monster be contained.
This is a unique book with its message of "don't keep feelings in." I like how Mandy was able to draw her feelings and didn't care what her monsters looked like. The escaped monsters were great, drawn in crayon style.
A fun, quick book.
Mandy is a closed-off little girl who doesn't show her feelings. When her sister leaves for school, she gives Mandy a sketchbook. Mandy fills it with drawings of monsters, but they get out and wreak havoc on the town. Only when Mandy can show an emotion will the corresponding monster be contained.
This is a unique book with its message of "don't keep feelings in." I like how Mandy was able to draw her feelings and didn't care what her monsters looked like. The escaped monsters were great, drawn in crayon style.
A fun, quick book.
September 12, 2012
Mandy learns to emote in order to get the monsters she drew back on the pages of her sketchbook and out of her world where they're wreaking havoc. More style than substance, I found the message a little heavy handed, but can see the appeal for shy or withdrawn children or simply to open a discussion about emotions and appropriate ways to express them.
January 5, 2013
I should have read the synopsis closer before starting this graphic novel because it was not at all what I was expecting. Although it teaches the lesson that it's okay to show emotions, it feels a little heavy-handed and preachy, and it's hard to believe Mandy goes through quite the change of heart that she does.
December 1, 2013
This book is a fun way to talk about emotions. We talked about how our emotions find a sneaky way to get out if we don't let them out ourselves. I really liked how the monsters represented different emotions.
I laughed SO hard when the love monster fell in love with a mailbox. I kept asking Mama to go back and read that page over.
I laughed SO hard when the love monster fell in love with a mailbox. I kept asking Mama to go back and read that page over.
February 14, 2015
This is a very quick read, a short volume about a little girl who learns to express her emotions through art, when her drawings come to life and she has to experience the emotions inspiring them to put them back. Definitely aimed at kids, who would probably enjoy it. The art is vibrant and lively, and well supports the story, and the monsters are imaginative without being frightening.
August 27, 2015
She's afraid to show her emotions so they come out as monsters that she draws in her sketchbook. Until the monsters escape the pages and come alive. Now she has to face her monsters and own up to them. It could have skewed didactic, but because they tackle some of the tough emotions, it's more just helpful and interesting and a great conversation starter. Pair it with the movie Inside Out!
December 19, 2016
A girl learns to express her feelings when the monsters she draws come out of her notebook, refusing to leave until she shows her emotions toward each one. Might be nice for bibliotherapy, but I was annoyed the entire time by the preachy and obvious message.
July 6, 2012
Love the illustrations in this book, the monsters are awesome. I love that the monters use all different mediums. The monsters that Mandy draws in her sketchbook escape. Mandy must express her feelings to get the monsters back into the book. A little messagey but still fun.
September 22, 2011
A very interesting way to treat the subject of feelings. Original and fun!
October 4, 2011
V. cute. A young girl draws her emotions in a sketchbook and one day they escape.
October 29, 2011
I just love reading graph novels like this one. :D I know it kids stuff but what the hell right?
December 19, 2011
Sweet, pleasant comic about expressing your emotions.
September 20, 2012
A lesson in learning to express your emotions in a very cute, very accessible manner. I love the first page spread where you can just hear the monotone in her voice!
May 9, 2013
Uh-dorable.
June 11, 2013
Ugh. Preachy and shallow. Nice art, though. Let's hope the second is better.
June 14, 2013
Cute until it got a bit preachy at the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews