Time Out for Monsters!

by Jean Reidy, Robert Neubecker (Illustrations)

Where can you find a fire truck, a monster, and a great big pile of cupcakes? Come play with this exuberant kid as creativity and imagination transform a blank wall into a colorful adventure. Author Jean Reidy and illustrator Robert Neubecker invite anyone with an outsized imagination to join in this rambunctious romp about making your own world.

Genres: Picture Books, Monsters, Childrens, Humor, Art, Dinosaurs, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31, 2012

About the author

Jean Reidy’s bestselling and award-winning picture books have earned their spots as favorites among readers and listeners of all ages and from all over the world. She is honored to be a three-time winner of the Colorado Book Award, a Parent’s Choice Gold Award Winner, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor winner and recognized on “Best of” lists by School Library Journal, the New York Times, NPR and Amazon. Jean writes from her home in Chicago where she lives just a short walk from her neighborhood library … which she visits nearly every day.

Reviews

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute, tho I bet parents of willful children will think it's less cute. ;)

[Jamie Swenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A child in time-out. A blank wall. Easy access to art supplies. Hmmm.... this book reminds me of the good-hearted naughtiness in Karen Beaumont's I AIN'T GONNA PAINT NO MORE ... the colors go from ho-hum to all out MONSTER PAINTING! It's light-hearted fun at its best ... plus, when my (now 17) daughter was that certain age ... and she was placed in time-out ... next to a blank wall and easy access to a marker... I, too, came back and found a dinosaur on the wall! So, clearly, I can relate to this book (my daughter has since become quite an accomplished artist ... grin). FIVE STARS for storytime sharing.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy decides to decorate his time out corner. Readers see him describe the perfect additions to make it more fun to spend time there. In the last few pages, readers discover he has tried to make this real by creating a world on the walls. Book ends with him cleaning the walls.

[Paul Hankins]

Get ready for a nice little picture book that reads like HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON meets NO! DAVID meets CALVIN AND HOBBES. Sure to delight younger readers!

[Rae Ann Huggins-Ledbetter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the creativity of this book and my children seemed to enjoy that also BUT I don’t like encouraging children to draw on the walls OR the fact that the poor kid was put in a plain corner for time out-that was just kinda sad.

[MelMon Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great imagination but, I'm pretty sure that timeout was a punishment. Way to glam it up!

[Jnase1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me a bit of Seuss’ And to Think That I Daw it on Mulberry Street or McElligot’s Pool

[Ian McHugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and colourful. Great illustrations that bring the imagination and story to life. Make sure you provide large pieces of paper for youngsters when they read this...

[Pi]

Ta książeczka świetnie pokazuje, jak wspaniałą wyobraźnię mają dzieci i jak z siedzenia w kącie mogą zrobić rewelacyjną zabawę... z której niekoniecznie będzie dumna mama.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little fella spends a lot of time in the corner and he thinks that corner needs fixing up. His mother says it doesn't but his imagination takes over. What he does to decorate that corner is pretty wonderful ... but not so wonderful in his mother's opinion.
This is a great story.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, this is a children's book that shows a child's bad behavior and it's funny. Yes, I think that's fine. Neubecker's colorful illustrations bring to life a usually dull punishment in this time-out tale of imagination.

If we intend to stimulate our young and teach them NOT to draw on our preciously boring walls, by all means, use this book!
if we intend to stifle their creativity, best to give them the tools and opportunity to draw elsewhere. Use this book to start the conversation.

Parents might not like this idea, but I'm sure a PK class will have a blast with this one.

[Jeremey Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time out for Monsters! is a fun book to read to kids that like to get into trouble. I read this book to my preschoolers and they loved it. Most of all they love the pictures. This book is about a boy who is put into time out and his mind begins to wonder. What seems to be in his mind at first, ends up being drawn on the wall. And the boy then gets into trouble again for coloring on the wall and his mom has him clean it up. Like I said I would recommend this book for those who have kids that like to get in time out or those that have great imaginations.

[Debrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't decide whether to use this for storytime. Kids would love increasingly extravagant pictures of a kid's fantasy, but I don't love that it starts with a kid sent to the corner. Nope, upon re-reading, I won't use it. Or maybe I'll change the story a little.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to my 4-year-old daughter's pre-k class and the kids seemed to enjoy it. My 1.5 year old LOVES it and often brings it to me to read or will sit flipping through the pages on her own.

[Ratforcekids]

Time (Out) for Monsters! is a book full of mischief, imagination and fun. Jean Reidy lives and works in Colorado and is the winner of the 2012 Colorado Book Award. Her illustrations are silly and wonderful and her stories are always worth a read.

[Hyacinth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. Ashton liked it. It wonderful to see or children's imagination go wild...just not on the walls. Imagination is a beautiful thing. Ashton hates the timeout aspect though. I guess you can't have everything. This is a good discussion opener.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An imagination, a white wall, and some crayons?

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute new picture book, answers the question- what goes through your child's mind when they get sent to a time out corner? Amusing ending...

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bold, bright, colorful celebration of a young boy's imagination.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy is in time out and decorates his corner (resulting in more trouble) but the fun imagination he displays is very cool.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read out loud about the power of imagination (and the perennial problem of crayons on the walls!)

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like how the end and the beginning are similar and frame all the action in the middle. I also like the box-of-crayons palette.

[Lindsay]

monsters, imagination, trouble, colors, funny

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a little girl who may have once colored on the wall during a time-out, I appreciate this book. I'm just a little sad I wasn't as creative as this kid with my unauthorized artwork.

[Sarah BT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time out can be fun! A funny imaginative take on time out. Good for parents and kids to read together and laugh along.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy turns his "time out" into an adventure.

[Thia]

really cute, mosters, time out, vehicles

[Michelle Nero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, quite the imagination -- not what I was expecting at all! Loved the surprise ending and only wish time out was this fun!

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happens when a kiddo feels their time out space needs a little added color....

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything about this book is vibrant, rough, and a little rowdy.