How I Met My Monster

I Need My Monster #4

by Amanda Noll, Howard McWilliam (Illustrator)

One night, when Ethan reaches under his bed for a toy truck, he finds this note instead: “Monsters! Meet here for final test.” Ethan is sure his parents are trying to trick him into staying under the covers, until he sees five colorful sets of eyes blinking at him from beneath the bed. Soon, a colorful parade of quirky, squeaky little monsters compete to become Ethan’s monster. But only the little green monster, Gabe, has the perfect blend of stomach-rumbling and snorting needed to get Ethan into bed and keep him there so he falls asleep—which as everyone knows, is the real reason for monsters under beds. With its perfect balance of giggles and shivers, this silly-spooky prequel to the award-winning I Need My Monster and Hey, That’s MY Monster! will keep young readers entertained.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Monsters, Fantasy, Fiction, Halloween, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2019

Reviews

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the Amanda Noll/Howard McWilliam Monster books, so I just needed to read the prequel instalment. And it didn't disappoint!

Here we find out how Ethan and his monster became friends. One evening he hears some creaking and a rumbling noise coming from under his bed. Then Ethan sees 5 pairs of monster eyes and overhears their conversation about Monster Rules. Now that the element of surprise is gone, the monsters get out and start looking around the room. Guess what, they aren't scary, they are cute and funny (any child will see it straightaway and fall in love with the series) and totally fail to get Ethan into bed. Well, one of them does and he is the right one for the little boy who feels entertained and comforted by the game.

The playful text is coupled with delightful artwork. A lovely addition to a charming series.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Flashlight Press for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Shaghayegh · Rating 4 out of 5]

جلد چهار
هیولاها چجوری پا به زندگی ایتن گذاشتن؟ نحوه‌ی انتخاب بهترین هیولا (از نوع زیرتختی) از چه قراره و آزمون ورودی به چه صورته؟
این جلد به سوالات بالا جواب میده و مثل پیش‌درآمد مجموعه عمل می‌کنه. منشأ تمامی اتفاقات ماورایی رو نشون میده و تازه پی می‌بریم گِیب و ایتن چطور با هم مواجه شدن.
خوندن مجموعه لذت‌بخش و سرگرم‌کننده بود و نقاشی‌هاش واقعا حرف نداشتن.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is one of the best "monster under the bed" picture books that I've read. The illustrations are absolutely adorable, and the story is really cute. Aside from the tendency of the characters to laugh or giggle their speech (which is awkward), the writing is pretty strong, too.

Recommended to readers looking for monster books that aren't too scary. Fans of Monsters, Inc. will probably really enjoy this one!

Quotable moment:

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

How I Met My Monster is a fabulously illustrated children’s book with a delightful and engaging plot that will catch any child’s or child at heart’s attention.

Ethan overhears whispering below his bed about monster rules, only to discover 5 sets of eyes looking back at him. The monsters realize Ethan heard them, so they all come out to investigate Ethan’s room. They are cute and fun and can’t seem to get Ethan to bed…all but Ethan’s monster.

How I Met My Monster is a great story I can’t wait to share with my granddaughter.

I received this ARC copy of How I Met My Monster from Flashlight Press -Independent Publishers Group. This is my honest and voluntary review. How I Met My Monster is set for publication November 1, 2019.

My Rating: 5 stars
Written by: Amanda Noll
Illustrated by: Howard McWilliam
Age Range: 5 - 7 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten - 2
Series: I Need My Monster
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Flashlight Press
ISBN-10: 194727709X
ISBN-13: 978-1947277090
Genre: Children's Fiction

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/How-Met-My-Mon...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-...

[Sara Alegría · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute story. I love the art.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book at Book Expo 2019. My 4 year old son adored it. The illustrations are fantastic and the interactions between the monsters are funny and engaging. A really fun story to read with your child!

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured in a grandma reads session.

Just like it takes time to find your best friends, it takes time to find just the right monster for you. They have to make you laugh, get you - just as you are, and they have to scare you the BEST. Really scare you. Terrify you. They are your monster and no one else's. That can take time. This story takes that time, and shows how the process works. Once you have your monster, that's when you will finally get a good night's sleep.

My kiddos enjoyed this one.

3.5 stars, all googly-eyed, raised up to 4 stars. Cuz he's cute, in spite of the drool.

[Rosalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book and read it with my son who is on the autism spectrum. He LOVED IT and gave it a thumbs up. For those like his brother who are familiar with the series, this did not disappoint. It stayed true to form and Gabe was once again the star, watch those toes 😘

[Nate Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grabbed a ark of this book at BEA. I thought it was a amazing children's story.

[Marge Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Book Expo for this wonderful book. Love the characters.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you were following along last spring, or looked closely through my list of our favorite Halloween-y books, then you know our girls absolutely love the "Monster" series written by Amanda Noll and illustrated by Howard McWilliam! So, when Flashlight Press told me a third book is set to release 11/1, I knew we needed that one too! After all, How I Met My Monster is the story of the beginning of Gabe and Ethan's friendship -- we needed to know how it all started!
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Noll and McWilliam partner again to bring us back to the beginning, when Ethan is a toddler having trouble staying in bed to sleep at night. One night, while he's looking for toys to play with, he finds a note about a "monster test" happening in his room that night. He assumes his parents are trying to trick him into staying in bed... Until the monsters arrive!
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McWilliam's illustrations are always delightful. They're richly colored and full of details that children love, such as clutter, toys, and emotion. And check out the endpapers! One of our favorite games to play is "Which monster do you want to be friends with today?" where we pore over the endpapers, discuss what's appealing about various monsters, and choose one to be friends with. It never gets old, as McWilliam has drawn so many delightful monsters!
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And lastly, the books in this series make amazing read alouds! Are you someone who enjoys doing different voices when you read stories out loud? I enjoy it and my husband is ridiculously good at it, so we have a lot of fun getting into character with these. My girls will even correct our voices if we read the characters in a way that doesn't match what they expect to hear or think they should sound like! As a series, I appreciate how Noll has used a lot of the same verbage and imagery throughout the books; we are comforted by the refrains that thread their way through all three (such as Ethan giggling, "No other monster can scare me like you!").
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Have you read these yet? Though this one doesn't release till after Halloween and the whole series is great for year-round enjoyment, October is the perfect time to crack these open and get in the Halloween-y mood!

[Aneesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to collect them all (from the library).

[Beate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book to read to my grandson. It caught my attention because of the pictures, which were very nicely done. The story was cute too...but not necessarily for a little kid, who has not heard of monsters living under a bed...in particular ones that are going for your toes or love to put scary shadows on the wall.

We grown ups might think this cute but our little ones might feel very differently...especially at night, in the dark. So, careful. You might open up a "can of worms."

For now, we will not read this story to my grandson.

[michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit different than what I expected and not as good as I thought it would be but still enjoyable.

[Kimberly Luthin · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/23/2022
9/12/2020
9/13/2019

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a children’s picture book about a young boy and the various monsters that are auditioning / training to be “the monster under his bed”. I liked the graphics.

[Spillminttea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keep the child in bed! Graawwwrr

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

very scary

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I haven't read any of this books, I see now there's more. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This book was a cute twist on the age ole "there's a monster under my bed". It wasn't what I was expecting but it still pretty cute. The illustrations are lovely. I feel like that's what really did it for me.

I didn't end up buying it though, because the reader I'm buying for hasn't hit that monster under the bed fear yet and I didn't want to accidentally set off a chain of events. 😅 That being said, this book isn't scary at all-it's really cute.

[Audra PC · Rating 4 out of 5]

A text heavy early reader children’s book. Monsters are in school and learning the rules on how to be a scary monster and this is their final test. Through the book the become friends. Ethan, the child, ends up offering a plush to his monster.

The illustrations are beautifully detailed and every monster is completely different from one another.

It’s a cute story and kept my kids attention. They fell asleep right before the end. If you are someone who only wants to read the one book before bed, this might be the one for you.

[Courtnee (MB) Anderson]

Text to Self
How I Met My Monster is of course a fictional text, but many people have used this theme in everyday life. When I was younger my dad always told me that their were monsters under my bed and in my closet. He told me this with hopes that I would go to bed and not get up. It did not work the thought of their being monsters in my room made me not want to sleep in there at all. Ethan the little boy in the story actually got to meet the monster who was keeping him in bed at night. I couldn't imagine as a child if I had actually saw something. I like that I'm able to read this book as an adult and laugh at myself about all the silly stories that I used to believe in.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this, because I wanted another monster friendship story going into it. In some ways, a friendship is still formed here, but in a way where the child is still afraid of the monster...so again, not sure how I feel. I liked it fairly well and loved the illustrations, so I'll give it 4 stars for now.

[Mailey/joshdub:)]

good

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm impressed with the illustrations. The story was cute as well. A a class of monsters shows up under Ethan's bed with their teacher to instruct them on the rules of being a good monster. Each monster tries their best, but only one can truly scare Ethan back into bed!

I definitely want to check out the other Monster books!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story and wonderful illustrations!

[AmyLou Allred]

Fantastic children's book. My 5 year old was invested throughout the entirety of this and I noticed my eleven year old had snuggled in to listen as well. As an adult, I felt like the illustrations were absolutely amazing!

[Laynara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable and a fast read that my son truly enjoyed the sound of his giggles made it worth reading.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seemed so promising, but the character development just didn't make any sense. I know a lot of kids who are afraid of monsters. But frankly, that's a pretty tired trope. So I can understand why an author might want to turn that idea on its head. And I can imagine that there are kids who are not afraid of monsters, who find the idea of them exciting and fun. It's unlikely, but I can buy it. What I can't imagine is a kid who goes back and forth between being excited about stumbling on a school for monsters, and then in the next heartbeat, is terrified of them, and then a second later is back to being amused and excited about them again. Which is exactly what the main character in this book does. He's totally unafraid and excited to see the monster. Oh, no, now one of them is trying to nibble his toes. He's scared! But then a moment later, he's back to being excited.

You just... can't have it both ways. Either the kid is scared or he's not, but to swing back and forth wildly like this -- with no reason -- is just not plausible. Nor does it seem to serve the story in any way. Instead of dealing with something substantive and allowing the main character to have an arc, the book is pretty much pointless. No one learns anything or changes in any way. Even children's picture books need to have a character arc. Children deserve that much. And honestly, pictures books are usually great at this. It's surprising to me that this one made it through the editorial process without someone saying, why doesn't the main character behave in a believably consistent manner? Why doesn't he learn or grow in some way? It's a missed opportunity.

The illustrations were well done, but somehow I never connected with them either. Not entirely sure why. I think I wanted the monsters to be quirkier. It just all felt very bland. There was nothing new or different about the style.

Disappointing.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monster fans are going to enjoy every page and maybe learn a little more about monsters along the way.

Ethan is looking for a toy and runs across a strange letter. Soon, five pairs of eyes are staring back at him from underneath his bed. These are monsters—furry, cute, long-tailed, and sweet. But these monsters are there for a reason. They need to learn the rules when it comes to kids and bedtimes. One of the monsters is sure to be perfect for Ethan, but it will take a bit of testing to find out which one it will be.

This reminded me a bit of Monsters Inc. but with a sweeter vibe. Ethan finds having monsters under his bed and in his room a little surprising, but he takes it all in stride and enjoys the fun. The monster rules seem sensible, but lead to funny situations and make it clear that finding the perfect monster-kid match isn't always easy. The monsters each bring their own personality and charm, and when Ethan and his monster are finally paired, it's simply heart-warming. Even if it might mean a little bit of a scare along the way.

The illustrations are super fun to gaze through. Each monster is portrayed uniquely and holds enough emotions to make them easy to like/love. There are little details to bring the pictures to life as they follow the tale and help the humor and friendship grow more vivid with each page. It's simply a cute story young listeners are sure to enjoy.

I received a complimentary copy and found this book so lovey that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.