Avery Monsen
Author of All My Friends Are Dead
Series
Works by Avery Monsen
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Oberlin College (BA|Theater)
- Occupations
- writer
illustrator
actor - Short biography
- Avery Monsen is a writer and illustrator and actor who lives in New York.
He works as co-author and illustrator. His writing and illustrations have been featured in McSweeney's, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Stranger, San Antonio Current, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Pacific Sun, Toledo Free Press, San Diego Reader and Maui Time.
He has acted with the California Shakespeare Theater, Two River Theater Company and Marin Theatre Company, among others. He's also been on 30 Rock and Nick Jr. and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and in a handful of commercials. He is a member of a house sketch comedy team at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York. The team is called Beige. - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- New York, New York, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- New York, USA
Members
Reviews
This highly existential work of morbid satire was masquerading as something far more innocent nestled among the children's books at Target. Needless to say, its hilarious portrayal of ennui and mortal dread from the varying perspectives of dinosaurs, pirates, trees, and a host of other sorry saps abandoned and in wait for the reaper. A crack up. Your kids will love it.
Avery Monsen and Jory John's All My Friends Are Dead is the existential nihilistic book you've been waiting for. It begins with a careful examination of the meaninglessness of the universe and life, even unto our most basic connections with those around us, before encouraging readers to create their own meaning in order to find fulfillment. The simplicity of the story makes the message all the more significant and Monsen's illustrations capture the underlying pathos at work. The book will show more entertain and provoke more than a few laughs, but readers are just attempting to laugh off their own discomfort with the futility of existence prior to the journey of self-discover that will enable to them find something worth living for. Truly, this is schadenfreude at its best. show less
This is a small little book that I carried around in my purse for about three weeks so I could show it to everyone I met (I failed by not showing it to Erin or my boyfriend, but no one ever said I had a great memory). It's slightly morbid while being very funny. I really think I need to buy it and continue to carry it in my purse, just so that I have something to accost/annoy strangers with and so that I always have something handy to bring me a smile. Sounds like a good plan, yeah?
All My show more Friends Are Dead is a picture book featuring the dinosaur on the cover, an old man, a tree and an end table (not friends, after all), and others who find themselves alone in this world. It's macabre, sure, but sweet and funny at the same time. I absolutely love it.
Daddy and I agree that Death ought to have been speaking in all capital letters.* He loved the book. Because of its size, he wondered if I intended to read it to the chicklets at story-time. I said that most of the jokes would go right over their heads, so no.
The next day I showed the book to my mom and even she chuckled though the humor is a bit macabre and she doesn't tend to dig that sort of thing. Jenni of course loved it and was tempted to buy a copy she in the store a few days later.
I need to buy this book. Seriously. Also, I hold it responsible for making "Dangit" so prominent in my daily vocabulary.
* Reference to Terry Pratchett's Death, who is the best Death in literature as far as I'm concerned. You also have to imagine that he speaks with Christopher Lee's voice. show less
All My show more Friends Are Dead is a picture book featuring the dinosaur on the cover, an old man, a tree and an end table (not friends, after all), and others who find themselves alone in this world. It's macabre, sure, but sweet and funny at the same time. I absolutely love it.
Daddy and I agree that Death ought to have been speaking in all capital letters.* He loved the book. Because of its size, he wondered if I intended to read it to the chicklets at story-time. I said that most of the jokes would go right over their heads, so no.
The next day I showed the book to my mom and even she chuckled though the humor is a bit macabre and she doesn't tend to dig that sort of thing. Jenni of course loved it and was tempted to buy a copy she in the store a few days later.
I need to buy this book. Seriously. Also, I hold it responsible for making "Dangit" so prominent in my daily vocabulary.
* Reference to Terry Pratchett's Death, who is the best Death in literature as far as I'm concerned. You also have to imagine that he speaks with Christopher Lee's voice. show less
"There once was a youngster named Chester Van Chime,
who woke up one day and forgot how to rhyme."
This is the LAST rhyme readers will see/hear in this book, for it continues...
"It baffled poor Chester. He felt almost queasy.
To match up two sounds, it was always so...
...simple for him."
This would be a fantastic read-aloud for preschool, kindergarten, or first-grade kiddos who have a handle on rhyme already and will be driven absolutely up the wall by the non-rhymes here. The resolution, when show more it comes, is simply to relax and have fun with language, and not stress out about it - and Chester's ability returns. (Except for orange. Nothing rhymes with orange.)
Endpapers are covered with small, charming illustrations of rhymes (owl towel, socks blocks, red bed, mop hop, Humpty Dumpty, etc.). show less
who woke up one day and forgot how to rhyme."
This is the LAST rhyme readers will see/hear in this book, for it continues...
"It baffled poor Chester. He felt almost queasy.
To match up two sounds, it was always so...
...simple for him."
This would be a fantastic read-aloud for preschool, kindergarten, or first-grade kiddos who have a handle on rhyme already and will be driven absolutely up the wall by the non-rhymes here. The resolution, when show more it comes, is simply to relax and have fun with language, and not stress out about it - and Chester's ability returns. (Except for orange. Nothing rhymes with orange.)
Endpapers are covered with small, charming illustrations of rhymes (owl towel, socks blocks, red bed, mop hop, Humpty Dumpty, etc.). show less
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 10
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 1,847
- Popularity
- #13,931
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 72
- ISBNs
- 20
- Languages
- 6