Patrick McDonnell's (Me... Jane; The Gift of Nothing) enchanting monster tale will be relevant long past Halloween.
Grouch, Grump and two-headed Gloom 'n' Doom live in a dark castle under a black cloud and argue over which one is the biggest, baddest monster until they wind up in a brawl. "Their little monster heads were always filled with big monster thoughts." Then one day, they unite to make "the biggest, baddest monster EVER!" But when they unveil the green-hued giant, he doesn't roar a fearsome roar. He says, "Dank you!" and opens the window to let in the light as little terrors turn from the sun in horror. "No, no, no no, NO!!!" they cry. "You're supposed to be a MONSTER!" When their Frankenstein-like creation finally lets out a ROAR and crashes through a wall, the three believe they may have achieved success after all.
But like Mary Shelley's invention, the fellow has a mind of his own. The monsters' monster hits the bakery ("Dank you!" he says again) and heads for the beach. The vistas open up and the sky brightens as together the monsters watch the sun come up with a sense of awe and wonder. The frenetic pace and all capital letters of the early pages grow more serene as the monsters' creation casts a spell of calm and gratitude. The little terrors quickly realize they have no control over their creation, and he has a few things to teach them himself. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness