After an especially “busy” day, a preschool-age boy overhears his mother say, “He’s been a monster all day.” So the little boy begins thinking about life as a monster:

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I wonder why Mommy thinks that of me.
I guess if she does, then a monster I’ll be!

I’m big and strong! I grumble and growl,
and scare people off with a sneer and a scowl.

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Being a monster is fun! There are no rules to remember or manners to follow. And monsters can stay out as late as they please, scaring everyone away. But as it turns out, being a monster isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. No one wants to be friends with a monster. And who will read a story and tuck a monster into bed? Maybe being a little boy isn’t such a bad thing after all.

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Reviews

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“ . . . Moore’s soft-toned, gentle and whimsical cartoon drawings in pencil and watercolors easily complement the smoothly readable, rhyming text.” – Kirkus

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“With his rosy cheeks and impish smile, how could the little boy in this picture book possibly be mistaken for a monster? But that’s exactly what his mother, surrounded by a path of destruction, calls him: “He’s been a monster all day!” The boy, who overhears her, looks so sad about being called a monster that readers and kids will likely feel sorry for him.  In response, the boy says, “I wonder why my mommy / thinks that of me? / I guess if she does / then a monster I’ll be!” At this point, the book shifts into fantasy as the boy, depicted by Moore as a warty, toothy green creature, sets off on a mud bath–filled, monster truck-driving, manner-free romp. Eventually, though, he realizes nobody wants to befriend a monster, and hopes “maybe by now / Mommy forgot.” (Aww.) With sound effects throughout, this rhyming read-aloud provides the opportunity for discussing appropriate and inappropriate behavior with preschoolers, as well as the concept of unconditional love.” – Ann Kelley, Booklist