Laurie Berkner

"I'm the biggest monster / that you've ever seen! / My eyes are purple / and my teeth are green." So begins the rhyming narrative of Monster Boogie, which uses the words of Laurie Berkner's song of the same name as text, and pairs them with bright, attention-grabbing artwork by Ben Clanton. Eventually, by inviting the two children he is visiting to join him in the Monster Boogie, our green-toothed guest allays their fears...

I wasn't sure, going into Monster Boogie, how I would react, given show more that Berkner and Clanton's previous collaboration - We Are the Dinosaurs, another picture-book based on a Berkner song - left me mostly unimpressed. I'm glad I gave this one a try, despite my lukewarm reaction to the earlier title, as I found both narrative and artwork here appealing, and think the book would make an excellent reassurance story for children afraid of monsters lurking in the dark at bedtime. My only qualm, in this respect, is the potentially frightening two-page spread at the beginning of the book, which shows the monster ostensibly leaping across the room, claws extended. If young children can get past that one frightening scene, however, they'll be in for an entertaining treat. Recommended to Laurie Berkner fans, and to anyone looking for lighthearted monster fare. show less

This is a fun mix—an addictive song paired with bright illustrations—which brings monstrous entertainment.

There's a monster in the bedroom, one with green teeth and purple eyes. He appears to be scary, at first. But this monster doesn't have roars and growls in mind. All he wants to do is boogie and wiggle.

Laurie Berkner's song comes to life in these pages, allowing an energy packed monster to come to life. The text is simple enough for even younger listeners to understand and, coming show more from the song, repeats itself. Although this does come across as repetitious at times (especially on the refrain), it does make the phrases catchy for kids and easy for them to 'read' along even when they can't read the words themselves. A possibly scary monster transforms into a source of giggles and will have young readers boogie-ing and wiggling themselves. Still, the message is clear—first impressions can be deceiving. Because this monster is anything but frightening.

The illustrations are bright and add just the right amount of silliness and excitement. While the phrases from the song repeat themselves, the action in the illustrations does not. It's the combination of these two which makes the book entertaining.

For those, who aren't familiar with the song or might want the chance to play it themselves, the music score is on the back of the book. But even without it, this is an easy to enjoy read which guarantees smiles for fans of silly monsters.

I received a complimentary copy and found it so fun to read that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts. show less

Using her song, "We Are the Dinosaurs," as a starting point, children's musician and author Laurie Berkner presents this picture-book adventure featuring a group of young dinosaurs who venture out on the nearby mountain for a day of hiking and fun. The main text of the song is augmented by the dialogue amongst the dinosaurs, and the accompanying artwork by Ben Clanton is done in pencil, acrylic and watercolor.

Truth be told, I had never heard of this song before picking up We Are the show more Dinosaurs, so I had no auditory point of reference whilst reading. I suspect that this affected my enjoyment level, and that I would have been less indifferent if I actually knew the tune. That said, I do tend to feel that if a song doesn't tell enough of a story to stand up by itself textually, it probably isn't the best selection for a picture-book. I've noticed recently that many of the song-based picture-books I've picked up (Bob Dylan's If Dogs Run Free comes to mind in this respect) were less than impressive. Recommended primarily to those who are already fans of the song. show less

LFL find.
I don't know the song. And normally I don't like books that counter fear of the dark/fear of monsters for kids who don't need them (don't want to inspire that fear in otherwise happy children). But this is so much fun!
I love how the kids share a room, and that the slightly older sister is immediately down with the monster's agenda, but the brother hesitates until his toes start tapping and then he's fully enthusiastic, too.