Leonardo the Terrible Monster

Bibliography

Willems, Mo. 2005. LEONARDO THE TERRIBLE MONSTER. Ill. by Mo Willems. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786852941

Plot Summary

Leonardo is a terrible monster; he can’t scare anyone no matter how hard he tries. Leonardo searches for the most scaredy-cat kid in the world to try to scare. When Leonardo finds Sam, he thinks he has finally found his perfect victim. Sam isn’t scared though, he has other reasons to be upset, and Leonardo decides that it would be better to be a wonderful friend than a terrible monster.

Critical Analysis

This is a simple, fun story about wanting one thing and discovering something even better. Leonardo is adorable, when he would rather be frightening. Sam appears to be cowering, when he is in fact stewing over the injustices of his life. The frustration of both characters is apparent and their eventual friendship is a satisfying outcome. The tone of the story is playful and fun even though the characters are upset to begin with. Leonardo’s desire to scare the “tuna-salad” out of someone and Sam’s list of grievances are particularly amusing.

Mo Willems uses both illustrations and text to add depth to the story. Leonardo is drawn as a small fuzzy monster, while the monsters that he wants to emulate are huge with lots of teeth or eyes. The drawings are very expressive and show Leonardo’s sadness, his earnest attempts to be scary, his mischievousness, and his happiness at finding a friend. The background on most of the pages is empty, however the colors of the background change on each page, this adds interest while drawing your attention to the details of the characters. The text also changes color, placing emphasis on particular words and phrases. Sam’s list of reasons for crying fills up an entire page in bold letters.

Review Excerpts

Booklist: “A winner for story hours, with plenty of discussion possibilities.”

School Library Journal: “Willems's familiar cartoon drawings work hand in glove with the brief text to tell this perfectly paced story.”

Awards

Winner: American Library Association Notable Books for Children - 2006

Connections

~ Have children talk about what they would have done if they were Leonardo or Sam.

Other books by Mo Willems:

Willems, Mo. 2003. DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! ISBN 078681988X

Willems, Mo. 2004. KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE. ISBN 0786818700