2020 Purple Dragonfly Awards Honorable Mention in Picture Books: Five & Younger There's a monster in Dave's basement! His name is Howard and he's very hungry. Howard invites Dave to dinner. But will Dave eat dinner or BE dinner? The thought makes Dave shake a little bit, shake a little bit, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake. Has Dave made a big mistake? This heartwarming story about friendship and first impressions began as a song. The music and lyrics are included in the book, and a QR code invites readers to join the author in a rousing rendition of the clever song that gets kids up and shake-shake-shaking!

Editor reviews

2 reviews

A New Favorite

February 02, 2021

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

N/A

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

What a wonderful and fun book.
The Monster In My Basement is about a young boy who finds a monster and is convinced the monster wants to eat him for dinner. Yet, he befriends him anyway and is constantly wondering if he made a big mistake. As the monster talks about being hungry and invited the boy home for dinner, the boy can't shake the thought something bad was going to happen.
This is the type of book I love as an aunt because it's fun to read over and over again. My three-year-old nephew absolutely loved the colorful images of the monster. The story is written with an almost lyrical quality that makes it pleasant to both speak and hear. The best parts are the repetitive sections. As the boy said he started to "shake, shake, shake a little bit" so did my nephew.
This is a book that will go on the favorites shelf and is perfect for the young ones who are just finding their love of reading.

Final Verdict: Beautifully written and illustrated, The Monster In My Basement is a must have for anyone with the opportunity of sharing a love of reading with young kids.