If You're A Monster And You Know It by Ed Emberley

by Rebecca Emberley

A brand-new monster twist on a classic song by Caldecott Medalist Ed Emberley and his daughter, Rebecca Emberley.Children will stomp their paws, twitch their tails, snort and growl, and wiggle and wriggle along with this bright and bold picture book twist on "If You're Happy and You Know It." Rebecca Emberley has written a rollicking text, which she has illustrated in collaboration with her father, Caldecott Medalist Ed Emberley. Includes a fun sing-along song by Adrienne Emberley which can be downloaded at www.scholstic.com/ifyouramonsterandyo...

Genres: Picture Books, Monsters, Storytime, Halloween, Childrens, Music, Fiction

Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

Reviews

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun times. The six year old has a scary monster roar.

[Cosette]

Nice activity book

[Turrean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever and silly riff on “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” A perfect story for Halloween week.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so bright, and enticing - was a definite hit for Monster Story Time.

[Annalise Nakoneczny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very rhythmic, lots of colors, illustrations were a bit confusing but also cool!

[Mama Bibliosoph · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If You're Happy and You Know It" is a popular, repetitive children's song that most Americans know well. It's often used in special education environments because it incorporates gross motor actions. Sometimes it is also a cumulative song, meaning that with each verse we collect an action for a list. Doing all the actions in order becomes a memory challenge.

If You're A Monster And You Know It is a monsterous twist on the classic song. Rather than clapping your hands or shouting 'hooray!', [children] little monsters smack their claws and roar.

The art is distinctively Ed Emberley, but unlike Go Away Big Green Monster, there are a lot of his trademark bright colors in play at once. It'll be too much for kids who are sensitive to visual noise. My son Luke was not a fan. But his twin Harry, who loves that kind of input (and loves monsters) loved it. YMMV.

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I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is part of a longer post on books about singalong books: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/40-sin...

[Dena McMurdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can I say FUN?

The title of the book pretty much gives away what the book is about, but that's okay! This was so much fun to sing with my kids. It is a new spin on the song "If You're Happy and You Know It.", and it was a blast.

Just right for Halloween, and great for reading/singing to groups of children. Kids love books made from songs because they can sing along and do the actions.

The illustrations are bright and colorful, and very monster-ish. They were the perfect enhancement to the song without distracting away from the actions and movement that go along with it.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're searching for a fun monster version of "If You're Happy and You Know It" for Halloween (or just in general), then take a look at this book! While the illustrations were a little overwhelming, with too much going on within various pages, everyone had a great time participating by singing and doing the motions. Going forward, I do not necessarily plan on using this book physically during story time, but I shall absolutely take inspiration from it and sing it going forward; with some additional verses about other things that monsters do!

Read during a school visit on October 18th, 2018.
Read during Preschool Play on October 19th, 2018.

[Brianna Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meant for Pre-k through kindergarten.
The book covers the nursery rhyme if you're happy and you know it but with a twist with ghouls and goblins!
The book not only gives a twist but has silly colorful illustrations to gain the attention of any child and adult. Also makes the reader excited due to being spooky!
I would use the book during October and as a read-aloud for the morning to get everyone moving. The words are repeated so often you could also use the book to review sit words such as clap and stomp.

[10kbenhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun twist to the classic song “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. Children get to stomp their paws, smack their claws, and wiggle their warts in this interactive monster song. The book comes with a free copy of the sing-along song. The illustrations are bright, bold, and eye-catching.

This book was super cute. I remember doing “If You’re Happy and You Know It” as a child, so I love this version of it. My two-year-old really enjoyed it as well! I think it’s great that the book came with a song to play with it.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis: Fun take on the If You're Happy and You Know It song. If you are a monster and know it....snort & growl, smack your claws, stomp your paws, twitch your tail, wiggle your warts, and roar.

Uses: Good way to get kids moving while reading a book. Could compare and contrast this book with the original song.

[Jannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A monster-themed literary take on "If You're Happy and You Know It."
It got some laughs out of a couple caregivers and a parent came up to ask to borrow the book after storytime, so it seems like it was enjoyed!

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic song (If You're Happy and You Know It) with a silly twist - monsters! The reader (or singer) can be a monster by stomping paws, wiggling warts, and more.

2018 storytime theme: monsters

Reviewed from a library copy.

[Benjamin Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute song based off "If You're Happy and You Know It" but leading the song while holding the book was a little clunky. I'd prefer to just have the song with maybe a visual and not actually use the book if I were to use it in a story time.

[Somia Kassim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a monster song that encourages children if they are a monster, then snorts, growl, stomp, and wriggle like that. The colorful monsters and shapes are fantastic for kindergarten students.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sing-song book set to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it" - really fun to sing the words and get the kids to do the motions too.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used for monster storytime on 10/10/17. Very cute and the kids loved getting up and moving around. I got some very intense ROARS. :)

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can’t wait to sing this with my kindergarteners and then make monster collages!

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Repetition works wonders for kinder students. The ability to participate and mimic sounds makes reading time fun for the kids.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for a Halloween storytime.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie LOVED this one - she giggled the whole way through it. Her favorite part was the snorting and growling.

[Goshen PL Childrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read at Storytime on October 17th
Theme: Monsters

This fun version of the song "If Your're Happy and You Know it" makes the kids laugh, especially wiggling your warts.

[Eleanor W · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a very creative book.
This is an "If you're happy and you know it" book...

[Kelley Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would be great to introduce song books, or as a companion to Go Away Big Green Monster

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read yet for Story Time!

[Deborah Bowen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just okay. It was a just a little weird for my liking, not sure how you “wiggle your wart” but I won’t be trying it on a classroom anytime soon.

[Emily Scarth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for a toddler sing along. Pictures are abstract. Has a downloadable song, but if you know If you’re happy and you know it that is all you need.

[Lynsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute, and I think it would be really good to use in a story time.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the cutest book!
Love the illustrations and the words. This is a great book to use for fall storytimes.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Halloween version of "If You're Happy and You Know It." Great, boldly colored illustrations complement the fun things like wiggling your warts and clicking your claws.