How to Make a Monster Disappear

by Carly Mottinger, Yulia Degtyareva (Illustrator)

Do you have a stack of parenting “how-to” books gathering dust on your shelf? Well, here’s one that you’re guaranteed to use night after night! How to Make a Monster Disappear is a delightful tutorial that can be enjoyed by parents and kids alike. When Lucy dreams about a monster and can’t go back to sleep, her dad comes up with a way to turn him from scary to friendly through a series of whimsical sketches. How do you tame a monster? You start by giving him a silly name (“Cheese Sandwich”), then you boop his nose (he didn’t see that coming!), then you tickle him, compliment him, and finally ask about his favorite game. Not even the most horrid, scaly, drooling, pointy-toothed beast can resist this time-tested methodology. As Lucy practices this new skill step-by-step, she becomes confident that she has what it takes to defeat even the scariest of monsters and happily drifts off to dreamland, secure in her newfound abilities.

Author Carly Mottinger brings lots of humor to this timeless tale that is so relatable to parents and kids. (What mom or dad hasn’t had to find a way to scare off the monster lurking under their kid’s bed or in the closet?) The relationship between Lucy and her dad is sweet and charming, and showcases the best kind of gentle parenting. The two bond over this middle-of-the-night adventure and Lucy gets both the nurturing she needs and a new sense of self-reliance. The colorful illustrations are quirky and fun and will have readers laughing out loud as Dad sketches out Lucy’s terrifying dream monster (who has curly broccoli-like green hair and avoca-toes) and then turns him from scary to sweet (after he’s been tickled and tamed.) How to Make a Monster Disappear is a bedtime story that’s sure to become a family favorite. And guaranteed to solve all your inevitable nighttime monster situations!

Genres: Childrens

42 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2023

Reviews

[S.A. Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely lesson for children to make fearful monsters disappear
Lucy wakes up at night frightened because she has seen a wild monster in her dreams. She does not want to go back to sleep. She wants to play all night with her father instead.
But her father comes up with a plan to make a monster disappear.
Lovely illustrations and beautiful ideas to address fear in the children.
Enjoyable for both children and adults.

[Rosemary Standeven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book about facing your fears, and turning them into something positive. The book is for young children, who have nightmares – but the advice could work for most ages. First give your fear (monster) a silly name – so you can laugh at it (for older persons – maybe keep the name to yourself, just say it in your head, not aloud to the ‘monster’). Then, bop it on the nose and tickle it (might not work with a bully). But, the really positive advice, is to compliment it, ask its favourite game, and make plans to play with it.
A great way of conquering your fears and monsters. Recommended for wee folk and bigger persons.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great book of a clever way to take something scary and make your child feel powerful. A playful take on a difficult situation where usually “there is no such thing as monsters…go to bed” falls short. This is a similar technique to how therapists teach “renaming” fears and overpowering them by making them less intimidating.

[Queen Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite age appropriate for a 3 year old — read it with my grandson who isn’t really afraid of monsters as he doesn’t know any yet. HOWEVER, we were able to talk about the lesson learned as what really happens the the parental unit teaches the child to (1) child’s version of imagining the audience in its underwear, and (2) befriend the monster. So, we took a difficult situation and reframed it in a similar manner. It’s a bit of analogical thinking, but my grandson got the connection. The same idea might work with bullies, not sure how it would play out in real life, but in pre-school, with short attention spans, it seems OK.

[Kevin Fan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"How to Make a Monster Disappear" is a charming children's book that creatively addresses bedtime fears. The story's imaginative approach to overcoming these fears by renaming and befriending the monsters is both empowering and heartwarming. With delightful illustrations, it's a valuable tool for conversations about fears and courage.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the cutest thing ever. The illustrations are absolutely brilliant. The story is witty and on point for little kids struggling with nightmares. This book is filled with great advice, and a wonderful parent-child relationship, and is just lovely in general. You really can't go wrong with it.

[B. M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute story

Tender story, beautiful illustrations, and of course, great for bed time stories. Ideally to be told by fathers as that's the progonist along with the little Lucy :)

[Jessica Dawn Birks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story for dispelling fear

This is a fab story to tell especially if yoir child has a fear of monsters at the time. It has great advice about dispelling fears and also beautifully illustrated and written

[Mandy Dawson Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great way go make monsters disappear

Wonderfully fun story about a child afraid of monsters. Daddy gives her all kinds of ways to look at the monster until the monster becomes a friend.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to my granddaughter. She absolutely loved it and is always saying there is a monster in the other room. This book is delightful in teaching a child how to deal with fear and the outcome is so encouraging.

[Marcia Ashford · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great, fun book with the best illustrations. Every detail is perfectly put together for this wonderful book. Will never look at a Cheese Sandwich the same way!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Make a Monster Disappear by Carly Mottinger – This was an Amazon freebie this week! Very cute for little readers with bedtime worries! Happy Reading!

[Scott Popa · Rating 5 out of 5]

very entertaining

I read this with a 7 year-old. She was entertained. We liked the ending best with the silly names, also liked the owls in her room.

[Kaelah Sperlak · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!

Loved this quick book. Perfect for my son that has nightmares about monsters. Just wish it could be changed to a mom and son.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A father tells his daughter how to make a monster disappear so she can sleep.