Lovable Monster Books for Kids

1964 Caldecott Medal for the Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year

Where the Wild Things Are became an iconic book that has inspired a movie, an opera, and the imagination of generations.

It continues to be one of the best loved books of all time the world over, by the one and only Maurice Sendak.

Let the wild rumpus with Max and all the wild things continue as this classic comes to life as never before with new reproductions of Maurice Sendak’s artwork.

Astonishing state-of-the-art technology faithfully captures the color and detail of the original illustrations.

By all accounts, this book is a favorite among toddlers and adults alike.

Generations will recall their first time reading along as lovable, furry old Grover begs the reader not to turn the page for a monster is at the end of the book!

But, of course, the monster is none other than Grover himself.

A classic, not to be missed.

A unique monster-under-the-bed story with the perfect balance of giggles and shivers, this picture book relies on the power of humor over fear, appeals to a child’s love for creatures both alarming and absurd, and glorifies the scope of a child’s imagination.

One night, when Ethan checks under his bed for his monster, Gabe, he finds a note from him instead: “Gone fishing. Back in a week.”

Ethan knows that without Gabe’s familiar nightly scares he doesn’t stand a chance of getting to sleep, so Ethan interviews potential substitutes to see if they’ve got the right equipment for the job but none of them proves scary enough for Ethan.

When Gabe returns sooner than expected from his fishing trip, Ethan is thrilled.

It turns out that Gabe didn’t enjoy fishing because the fish scared too easily.

At once tender and funny, this monster bedtime story is guaranteed to generate giggles, tickles, and plenty of monster hugs.

Leonardo is truly a terrible monster-terrible at being a monster that is.

No matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to frighten anyone.

Determined to succeed, Leonardo sets himself to training and research.

Finally, he finds a nervous little boy, and scares the tuna salad out of him!

But scaring people isn’t quite as satisfying as he thought it would be.

Leonardo realizes that he might be a terrible, awful monster-but he could be a really good friend.

Nothing frightens Winifred Schnitzel — but she DOES need her sleep, and the neighborhood monsters WON’T let her be!

Every night they sneak in, growling and belching and making a ruckus.

Winifred constructs clever traps, but nothing stops these crafty creatures.

What’s a girl to do? (Hint: Monsters HATE kisses!)

The delightfully sweet ending will have every kid — and little monster — begging for an encore.

A lovable monster has just flown in from Planet Tickle on a mission is to tickle any child who happens to be following along with the Tickle Monster book.

Parents read aloud and do the tickling, while children laugh and squirm with delight.

Little Monster needs to get ready for bed.

That means howling at the moon, scrubbing his scales, getting into his creepy PJs, and enjoying a nice snack before bed: worm juice and baked beetle bread.

Of course, Little Monster’s mother is nearby to tuck Little Monster into bed and turn on his night-light — because even little monsters can be afraid of the dark.

Bonnie Leick’s soft, child-friendly illustrations rendered in watercolor bring a new and quiet twist to the evening’s bedtime ritual. 

Did you know that monsters love to scribble, mix, dance, and wiggle! 

Why? Because monsters love to make new colors! 

Celebrate along with the hilarious monsters in this wild and energetic picture book from author-illustrator Mike Austin.

Mixing and discovering color has never been so much fun!

A brand-new monster twist on a classic song by Caldecott Medalist Ed Emberley and his daughter, Rebecca Emberley.

Children will stomp their paws, twitch their tails, snort and growl, and wiggle and wriggle along with this bright and bold picture book twist on “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”

Includes a fun sing-along song by Adrienne Emberley!

Everyone knows that the M in “monster” stands for MEAN.

But what happens when a monster can’t be mean any more? Is he still a monster at all? 

One young monster’s attempts to live up to his name go hilariously awry as he discovers — with a little help from new friends — that it’s not what you’re called but who you are that counts.

Vampires and werewolves and zombies — oh my! It’s a monster invasion, and the stinky-smelling creatures are destroying Wally’s peaceful little town.

They scare the kids, knock over the lampposts, and make a mess of everything.

And no one can stop them — until, fed up, Wally says . . . the magic word, “PLEASE.”

Learning good manners has never been as monstrously fun!

It’s almost Halloween, and Monster needs to decide what he’s going to be.

With so many options — a fireman, a ballerina, a cowboy, a ninja—how will he ever decide?

In this playful, rhyming story, Monster shows young readers that sometimes being creative and daring to try something new are the best solutions.

A fun and beautifully illustrated book with a surprisingly sweet ending that all readers will surely enjoy.

Eric hates taking a bath. Eric hates brushing his teeth. Eric hates putting on his pajamas.

Let’s face it, Eric hates getting ready for bed.

Thankfully, Eric’s mom and dad have the perfect plan to help their little boy.

Find out what a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a monster has to do with it.

Love Monster is a slightly hairy monster trying to fit in with the cuddly residents of Cutesville.

But as it turns out, it’s hard to fit in with the cute and the fluffy when you’re a googly-eyed monster.

And so, Love Monster sets out to find someone who will love him just the way he is.

His journey is not easy — he looks high, low, and even middle-ish.

But as he soon finds out, in the blink of a googly eye, love can find you when you least expect it.

The Monstore is the place to go for all of your monsterly needs.

Which is perfect, since Zack definitely has a monsterly need.

The problem? His pesky little sister, Gracie, who never pays attention to that “Keep Out” sign on Zack’s door — the one he has made especially for her.

But when Zack’s monsters don’t exactly work as planned, he soon finds out that the Monstore has a few rules: No Refunds. No exchanges. No exceptions.

A young boy named Bobby has the worst teacher.

She’s loud, she yells, and if you throw paper airplanes, she won’t allow you to enjoy recess. She is a monster!

Luckily, Bobby can go to his favorite spot in the park on weekends to play.

Until one day… he finds his teacher there!

Over the course of one day, Bobby learns that monsters are not always what they seem.