Daddy Is a Monster...Sometimes

As a child, when your parents don't let you have your way it may feel like they are trying to be mean. John Steptoe takes the childs feelings about their father to a new level when he illustrates him as if he was a werewolf, changing between the sweet father and a hairy monster with fangs as soon as the children don't get their way. The father is not the only one being illustrated as a monster, as the children make doing things that the father does not like they are shown with whiskers and little fangs. In the end the father admits to being a monster sometimes but only when his children are little monsters.
I loved the way Steptoe used colors and bold lines in his illustrations . While his colors were soft, the stark black and white show more lines drew the characters from the background and into the forefront . He also used blockey coloring to create highlights and shadows. The style of this story's illustration was quite different from more conventional art styles. show less

This is a book about two young boys, who get into a bit of mischief and when they think that their dads anger makes him a monster. I loved how the pictures would convert their dads face to a werewolf like character. The father explains to them in the end the only time he is a monster are when his kids act like monsters also. Very cute and humorous

This is the story of two young boys who often find themselves in a bit of trouble. When their father gets angry, they say their dad turns into a monster.

I like the illustrations in the book, but not so much the context.The idea that a parent turns into a monster is a bit unnerving. I would probably not read this is class because I am not a fan of the context.

The illustrations in this book are similar to John Steptoe’s first book “Stevie”. I also noticed that John Steptoe likes to write books based around family. He also likes imagery. Daddy was portrayed as a monster in the book every time the children referred him to a monster. Daddy also looked like a grizzly bear in my opinion and in a way it ties back to how John Steptoe like to use bears in his books. The book was a good read and I like the style of the text. The style flows with the story and it also helps you hear the text how the author wants it portrayed.

Daddy Is a Monster... Sometimes is about two children and how they perceives the father's occasional anger. The father gets made when the children ask too many questions or when they ask for a cup of water. The books shows the father when he is not angry and then when he is. I did not really understand this book. I think I missed the point. I could not tell if the father had a mental illness and this was a description of how the children viewed it or if the father just had anger issues. Also, I did not understand why sometimes the father was illustrated with a cat-like head.

One brother tells his story about how sometimes his daddy is a monster. At the end of the day, the sons ask why their dad is such a monster sometimes. He replies, "only when I've got monster kids!" The illustrations are very interesting because they show the father morph into a wolf when he gets angry. I would recommend this book to a student who has trouble with obeying their parents.

A little dated, as I don't think good parents even threaten spankings anymore. But yes, when kids act up, parents might get a little loud, a little curt... enough to encourage children to use their imaginations and compare the parent to what they see on tv.

Note the photo on the back flap that looks just like one inside, and that John's kids have the same names as the characters in the book, and that they are google-able, and the boy actually won his own Caldecott.