LEONARDO THE TERRIBLE
MONSTER
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Willems, Mo. 2005. Leonardo
the Terrible Monster. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 078685294-1
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Leonardo is a monster who is unable to scare people around him. He contemplates his lack of numerous teeth,
his modest size, and his general averageness. Leonardo practices endless ways
to scare people, and is unable to do so.
When he finds a young boy that he thinks may fall victim to his monster
prowess, he strikes. The result is a
tearful young boy who admits that his tears have nothing to do with Leonardo,
but all about the boy’s recent stressors.
After hearing the young boy’s tears, Leonardo experiences a change of heart,
and he and the young boy become magnificent friends.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Mo Willems is known for his charming illustrations and story
lines. This book does not
disappoint. The simple sketch
illustrations enhance the text with a calm color scheme of pastels and
greys. However, the font utilized by
Willems is distracting at times, especially on the page when the young boy
shares his recent frustrations. On these
critical two pages, the closely spaced and bubbly font makes it difficult to
maintain the required beat and intonation required when reading the book out
loud.
Young children will enjoy the characters and connect with
both Leonardo and the boy. It will be refreshing to see that even supposedly
tough, strong monsters are insecure. The
generally abstract setting also allows the story to connect with diverse groups
of readers, and children of all ages and ethnicities will be able to connect
with the monster, Leonardo.
While a predictable ending, the story does teach a valuable
lesson about friendship and the perils of bullying others. Some may find the lesson a bit overplayed and
pontificating, but the moral is clear and will easily reach the intended young preschool
audience.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Starred Review in School
Library Journal: “Willems's
familiar cartoon drawings work hand in glove with the brief text to tell this
perfectly paced story.”
An ALA Notable
Book
Written and
illustrated by Caldecott winner, Mo Willems.
Publishers Weekly: “an
appealing book”
Kirkus Reviews: “superb
control of pacing”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Read other stories about other unlikely friendships.
Parker, Mary Jessie. 2005. Wild and Wooly. Ill. by
Shannon McNeill. New York, NY: Dutton Juvenile. ISBN 978-0525472766
Ward, Helen. 2012. The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. Ill. by Helen Ward. Surrey, United Kingdom:
Templar. ISBN 978-0763660987
*Teaches children that bullying is hurtful, a current theme
in education.