Leonardo, the Terrible Monster

Leonardo, the Terrible Monster
Front cover, designed by Mo Willems
AuthorMo Willems
Cover artistWillems
LanguageEnglish
Genrechildren's books
picture books
PublisherHyperion Books
Publication date
2005
Publication placeUnited States
Pages44
ISBN978-0-7868-5294-9
OCLC60822832
[E] 22
LC ClassPZ7.W65535 You 2005

Leonardo, the Terrible Monster (known on the front cover as Your Pal Mo Willems Presents: Leonardo, the Terrible Monster) is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Mo Willems. An ALA Notable Book, it was released in 2005 by Hyperion Books.[1] In 2007, Weston Woods adapted the book to an animated film, directed by Pete List.[2]

Plot

Leonardo is truly a terrible monster - terrible at being a monster, that is. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to frighten anyone. Determined to succeed, Leonardo sets himself to training and research. Finally, he finds a nervous little boy, and scares the tuna salad out of him! But scaring people isn't quite as satisfying as he thought it would be. Leonardo realizes that he might be a terrible, awful monster-but he could be a really good friend.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews called it a "sweetly original morality play about a very unscary monster",[3] while Publishers Weekly wrote " Willems's (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! ) finale feels apt but syrupy; Leonardo's decision to be nice seems homiletic. Yet this is an appealing book, sketched in dark brown against grayish pastel backdrops, with evergreen lettering and highlighted keywords."[4]

It is listed in the 2009 literary reference book 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.

Sequel

In 2017, the sequel, Sam, the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World, was released.[5]

References

  1. ^ Your pal Mo Willems presents Leonardo, the Terrible Monster at WorldCat
  2. ^ "Leonardo The Terrible Monster | The Scholastic Teacher Store". shop.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  3. ^ "LEONARDO, THE TERRIBLE MONSTER | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  5. ^ Willems, Mo (2017). Your pal Mo Willems presents Sam, the most scaredy-cat kid in the whole world (First ed.). New York: Disney-Hyperion. ISBN 978-1-368-00214-1.
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