Employing her characteristic exuberance of oil pastel on black paper, Van Hout creates a variety of affable monsters to illuminate verbs about the vicissitudes of friendship. In pairs, the monsters play, bore, tease, cry, fight, ignore, and, finally, cuddle under, around, and across the verb on each double-page spread. The vibrant colors and especially evocative facial expressions of the furry, fanged, and sometimes spiky monsters will help readers navigate the wilds of friendship by fostering discussion. ( )

Employing her characteristic exuberance of oil pastel on black paper, Van Hout creates a variety of affable monsters to illuminate verbs about the vicissitudes of friendship. In pairs, the monsters play, bore, tease, cry, fight, ignore, and, finally, cuddle under, around, and across the verb on each double-page spread. The vibrant colors and especially evocative facial expressions of the furry, fanged, and sometimes spiky monsters will help readers navigate the wilds of friendship by fostering discussion. ( )

A dozen words and superb images express the actions and emotions friends experience. ( )

very little text, very big ideas ( )

Loved this book! Fun chalk illustrations against black backgrounds! ( )