View source for Love Monster by Rachel Bright

{{infobox2
|title=Love Monster
|author=Rachel Bright
|reviewer=Jo Heffer
|genre=For Sharing
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9780007445462
|pages=32
|publisher=HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks
|date=January 2012
|aznuk=0007445466
|aznus=0007445466
|cover=0007445466
|website=
|video=
|summary=A big googgly-eyed monster is not the cutest of creatures especially when you compare him with cute fluffy kittens or bunnies. That does not mean that monsters do not have feelings though and actually all monsters do want to feel loved. In this lovely, entertaining book we meet one of these monsters who is determined to find someone who will love him.
}}

At the start of this lovely book, the reader meets a red googly-eyed monster who is a 'bit funny looking to say the least'. Unfortunately for him, he lives in a world of cute looking things which only make his strange unorthodox looks more noticeable. He feels lonely when he sees that everyone loves the cute bunnies,  kittens and puppies who live close by but no one seems to love him. Rather than be downhearted though, he decides to set out to find someone who will love him.

His search takes him all over the place as he looks high and low. Once or twice he thinks that he might have found his soul mate before realising that it is only his reflection that he has seen in a window or a puddle. He searches all day but when it starts to rain and it gets dark, he decides that it is time to give up so he waits at the bus stop. However:

'In the blink of a googly eye … everything changed.'

As he is about to get on the bus and notices the monster of his dreams. So maybe love was waiting around the corner after all.

This really is a heart warming story and one that shows that hopefully every creature, however unattractive they might appear at first sight, will find someone to love them. It is also quite thought-provoking for young children as the story demonstrates what it might feel like to be a bit different and to feel left out. When we read the book, both my daughters felt sorry for the little monster but they did actually find him quite cute too. This is really due to the fabulous illustrations which are bright and bold and provide the monster with both a hideous appearance and a certain charm.

The style of the book is very chatty and there are not too many words on any page. The font is quite unusual as it is very thick and dark and all of the letter 'o's seem to be bulging out – just like the monster's eyes. Some of the words are larger for emphasis and others seem to dance across the page. All of these definitely add to the overall visual impact and to the enjoyment of reading the story.

This is a great book for sharing with small children especially as there is nothing scary about this monster at all. In fact, I think that the opposite applies as he is one of the most appealing monsters that we have come across. We definitely recommend this lovely book.

If you like the sound of this and you want to read about some more monsters, take a look at [[The Beasties by Jenny Nimmo and Gwen Millward]]

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