John Fardell

Now THIS is how you do a book about kids getting eaten: whole, in a gulp with their colouring book to play with inside till their sister rescues them, and then the monster who ate you gets eaten too (and that monster too, etc.) and I assume all get colouring books as well.

I'm a big fan of picture books where someone gets eaten. I'm also a big fan of picture books with monsters with silly names. This one is excellent on both counts!

A lot of fun to read with my son. He is really good at making the story sound dramatic.

Age group(s): Early Elementary (K-3)
This book is a predictable book that is a spin off of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. In the story, a crazy fictional monster eats the narrator’s brother. As the story continues, a bigger monster eats each monster. At the end, the narrator, Sarah, has to bravely climb into the monster to save her brother. Since this is a predictable book, it is easy for the kids to follow along and pick up on the repetition. For example, Sarah uses show more “unfortunately…” right before a big monster eats a smaller one. I think this would make a great read aloud in the classroom because it keeps the children’s attention with the help of cliff hangers. The illustrations are also very detailed and very fun. I think the fact that the monsters are not too terrifyingly drawn helps the vibe of the story remain playful and adventurous rather than scary and sad. If I used this in the classroom I would probably just use it for a free read or for the sake of entertainment, outside of it being a predictable book and teaching reading techniques, because I’m a strong believer in reading for fun and not having a lesson tied to every single thing we read. show less