Changes

My four -year -old son really enjoyed this book. We had it as a bedtime story every night for a week, so it certainly went down well with him. I have to say, I felt a little odd the first time I read it, seeing the daddy monster merrily eating one big mouthful of people, all of whom look scared and shocked as they tumble into his mouth, for obvious reasons! So, you may need to gird your loins a little if you get a little squeamish over these things. There's no blood and guts and gore, but it is sometimes a little disconcerting, seeing the poor people being eaten! However, if we set the unsettling nature of the story to one side, this is , of course , a very funny picture book. We all know a picky eater. I was dreadful as a child, so much so that whenever I see my parents nowadays they seem to always be exclaiming 'you don't eat ''that'' do you?! It can always be a challenge to persuade children to eat certain things, usually green things... so this funny twist to a picky eater brings a lightness to what can be a stressful situation, and perhaps allows a different look at the situation for worn-out parents!

You'll be pleased to hear that Monty does manage to eat one whole big mouthful of people in the end, when promised with his favourite pudding. (I find it's best not to think about his description of how crunchy, wriggly and jiggly the people are as he eats them!) I did wonder what on earth his pudding might be, after all that, but found myself laughing at the answer. I won't spoil it for you but will let you discover it for yourself.

The illustrations throughout the story are very well done, light-hearted and funny. The monster family are all a good mixture of silly and scary. It's fun to look at what's happening on Monty's plate on each page, with his people. I really liked the page with Dad monster reading the paper as you can read a couple of the stories on the front page which add a little extra for the grown -ups to enjoy. I also really liked the page when Monty finally loads up his spoon with people and his family are looking on, eagerly awaiting to see him manage to eat his people all in one go. Their expressions are great, and there's a real sense of anticipation.

Further reading suggestion: For more help with picky eaters, you could also try [[Nutmeg Says Yum! by Caroline Jayne Church]] and [[Eat Up, Little Donkey by Rindert Kromhout and Annemarie van Haeringen]]. We can also recommend [[Bella Broomstick by Lou Kuenzler and Kyan Cheng]].