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The Children’s Book Review | August 28, 2019
Little Monstrie’s Big Adventures
Written by Maria Kabanova
Illustrated by Margarita Grezina
Age Range: 6+
Hardcover: 88 pages
Publisher: Interface (2018)
ISBN: 978-5-6041013-0-8
What to Expect: Monsters, Kindness, and Being Yourself
In a picture book format, Little Monstrie’s Big Adventures is filled with short-story-like chapters that are all linked by an important message to always be yourself.
Little Monstrie, a monster who doesn’t fit the “norms”, wishes his name were something more empowering like Jean-Clawed. His mother makes him wear tusk-mittens, she does not let him watch TV in the evenings, or allow him to eat sweets. His fellow students at school think of him as a bit of an oddball. Throughout the chapters that involve a kidnapping, some bullying, and lessons on growling (which is hard to do when you can’t roll your Rs) and scaring, Monstrie experiences moments of wonderful self-discovery. The unconditional love from his parents becomes apparent and readers also get to witness how an act of kindness can turn around the actions of a bully. The ultimate lesson comes from his scare class teacher who tells him that in life it is paramount to always be yourself.
Written by a successful screenwriter, the gloss-paper pages are filled with plenty of fun characters with personalities ranging from shy to nerdy to confident. The attention-grabbing, colorful illustrations from a debut children’s book illustrator round out the overall feel of the book. There is a fun little Monstrie glossary that explains a few things from the story—such as what tusk-mittens are—and there is also an enjoyable I-spy page to complete this engaging book.
Little Monstrie’s Big Adventures makes an entertaining choice for readers ready to begin bridging the gap between picture books and chapter books.
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About the Author
Maria Kabanovais a bilingual poet and screenwriter and enjoys writing in both English and Russian. Maria has written a blockbuster featuring Russian comedy star Dmitry Nagiyev, as well as many successful TV shows, books of poetry and short stories. Her fun tales about Monstrie will appeal to children aged 5 to 105!
About the Illustrator
Margarita Grezina is a young artist and Little Monstrie’s Big Adventures is her first book. “I think that no matter what style you prefer to work with, what matters are the ideas you put into it,” Margarita believes. Margarita’s favorite character is Monstrie’s dad: big, caring, but at the same time as childish as Monstrie himself!
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. This non-biased review of “Little Monstrie’s Big Adventures” was sponsored* by Maria Kabanova. Learn more about getting a book review …
