Today is a special treat for me. I love the Monster & Me series by Paul Czajak and Wendy Grieb. Last year, I missed bringing you Monster and Boy’s Christmas story and Monster’s first party. So today I am giving you both. Consider it an early gift: a mashed-up double review. A first time venture which may fail. Read with caution.

Monster Needs a Christmas Tree

“We need to decorate the house so let’s go buy a tree.
“An evergreen that’s fat and full and twice the size of me!”

And thus begins Monster’s first Christmas with Boy. They grab the sleigh and off they go to find a tree, but instead they find Santa sitting with children, listening to their wishes. Monster jumps the line and plops onto Santa’s lap. I’m sure Santa is a bit more than surprised. It can’t have been very often that the man in red has a giant blue monster, an excited monster, ready to tell him all he wants for Christmas. The elves best have the ability to make super-sized gifts. Monster wants a glove, a baseball, and a bike . . . oh, and a puppy. Monster agrees to be good—no one wants on Santa’s naughty list, not even a monster.

Off they go again looking for the perfect tree . . . until Monster spies a hill. Monster hops aboard the sled and he and Boy glide down the hill together, a smiling pile of glee. Oh, but then Monster has a grand idea. And so the day went by, Monster and Boy enjoying the outdoors and the season’s delights. But when they are done, all the trees have their Christmas found homes. The two friends can only dream of a tree . . . until Monster sees—.

Ho, ho, ho, I cannot tell the story’s end, instead, let’s have a PARTY!

Monster Needs a Party

Monster hams it up wearing a birthday hat.

“Monster needs a party since another year has passed.”

Monster, like most young kids, has ideas about his perfect birthday party. It needs to be pirate themed with gold doubloons, and treasure maps, and costumes—pirate costumes. Boy gets caught up in Monster’s excitement and agrees to call all of monster’s friends and invite them. Waiting until the party day to invite your monster friends is not the wisest move to make. All of Monster’s friends have their own plans and none of them can make it to celebrate Monster’s big day. They have tight monster schedules that cannot be changed.

Monster decides he must be cursed and declares this birthday the worst, until Boy makes his own declaration. Boy tells Monster they can still celebrate his birthday and be Pirates for the day. Monster has lost his enthusiasm and dejectedly agrees, until he sees the rides and games and then he’s full of glee. Monsters love to ride amusement rides. “Blackbeard’s Bumper Cars,” “Crossbones Coaster,” and  all the midway games cheer Monster up and he forgets about a big monster party. At days’ end, the pair head home. Although Monster didn’t get what he wanted, he had a fun-filled day.

Monster and Boy return home, having celebrated the day away. But the day was still very young and a good thing too, there is so much Monster and Boy have left to do. I know you know the ending, because a party can start at any time. So when Monster and Boy enter the house, a surprise is there to greet them. Monsters of all sizes, shapes, and colors sing out as one,

“SURPRISE!”

All of the Monster & Me books are fun, carefree, and highly entertaining. Wendy Grieb’s brightly colored illustrations breathe extra life into Paul Czajak’s stories. Monster is a great character. Who wouldn’t want to listen to Monster tell a story. Who wouldn’t want to pretend they are Boy and sled down a hill with Monster at their side, or with Monster screaming up and down a rollercoaster hills?

Monster Needs a Christmas Tree and Monster Needs a Party are but two of the fabulous books in the Monster & Me series. For Christmas, the series is the perfect literary gift for young readers. Parents will enjoy reading these picture books multiple times, thanks to the snappy rhyming text and the visually astute imagery, which help make these stories come to life in a most gratifying way. I cannot think of better way to celebrate Christmas, birthdays, or any day of the week, including National Monster Week, other than with Monster and Boy.

Monster Needs a Christmas Tree & Monster Needs a Party
By Paul Czajak & Wendy Grieb
Mighty Media Kids    10/01/2014 – 4/14/2015
978-1-93806-346-6     &     978-1-93806-355-8
32 Pages          Ages 2—6

Monster & Me Series
Monster Needs a Costume  (reviewed here)
Monster Needs His Sleep    (reviewed here)
Monster Needs a Christmas Tree
Monster Needs a Party
Monster Needs your Vote   (reviewed here)

MONSTER & ME SERIES. Text copyright © 2015 by Paul Czajak. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Wendy Grieb. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Mighty Media Kids, Minneapolis, MN.

Purchase Monster & Me Series at Amazon—Book Depository—IndieBound Books—iTunes Books— Mighty Media Kids.

Learn more about Monster & Me Series HERE.
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Meet the author, Paul Czajak, at his website:  http://paulczajak.com/
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Meet the illustrator, Wendy Grieb, at her website: www.wendygrieb.com
Blog       Facebook       Twitter      @Boodlewink
Find more books at the Mighty Media Kids website:  http://mightymediapress.com/
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.          .  Mighty Media Kids is an imprint of Mighty Media Press.

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Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Full Disclosure: Monster Needs a Christmas Tree & Monster Needs a Party, by Paul Czajak & Wendy Grieb, and received from Mighty Media Kids (an imprint of Mighty Media Press is in exchange NOT for a positive review, but for an HONEST review. The opinions expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

MONSTER NEEDS A CHRISTMAS TREE by Paul Czajak. Illustrations © 2015 by Wendy Grieb. Used by permission of Mighty Media Kids.

MONSTER NEEDS A PARTY by Paul Czajak. Illustrations © 2015 by Wendy Grieb. Used by permission of Mighty Media Kids