by Elizabeth Laird
Illustrated by: Jennifer Lucander
Published on: September 3, 2019

Grobblechops is such a cute, adorable looking monster. How is it possible that anyone could be scared of him? But in this story Amir is dreading going to bed and finds more and more reasons to be scared. Thankfully, his dad is there to help calm those fears.

Description:

Amir is worried about the little monster lurking under the bed. What if it tries to eat him up?! And what if that monster has a dad and a mom too? As Amir’s dad tucks him in, Amir wonders if the monster might just become a friend instead…

This classic bedtime fear is hilariously brought to life by award-winning author Elizabeth Laird and Finnish illustrator Jenny Luncander. A timeless tale of monsters under the bed, based on a story from Masnavi, one of the best-known and most influential works by the thirteenth century poet, philosopher and Sufi mystic Rumi.

Thoughts:

One of my favorite things about reviewing picture books is the art work. I love to see the color choices, aesthetic style, and all the details the illustrator uses to bring a story to life. My only problem is that I don’t know anything about art so I find it difficult to truly describe in a review. But I am learning…slowly. In Grobblechops, each set of pages shows a full length picture. Each picture shows varied colors blending together in different sections of the page giving depth to the mood being experienced by Grobblechops, Amir or his father. The background collage of colors appears to be watercolor, but the forefront details, such as the bed and toys are more defined and is something different. I really like how there is so much to look at. If I’m not entranced by the background and how one color slowly fades to another, then there is the more detailed-forefront picture to admire, such as the dad’s pants. The dad in the story is wearing very detailed pants (and shirt) that must have been a lot of fun to draw.

In Grobblechops, Amir doesn’t want to go to bed. He’s scared because there might be a monster. But dad is there and he tells Amir that if a monster comes then he will come out and growl really loud to scare him. But Amir still isn’t sure and wonders what happens if the monster isn’t scared by the loud noise? So, the dad has to find a new way to calm Amir’s fears. But as soon as the dad comes up with a new way, Amir shoots it down with another “what if” situation. The story keeps going and going in this “what if” circle and eventually the monster’s dad and mom are involved along with Amir’s mother too. But dad knows just how to wind it down by telling Amir that he and the monster can play together while the adult parents sit down at the table and talk.

I always enjoy these type of picture bedtime books. They are fun and silly, but meaningful in helping to calm fears or bedtime concerns. The illustrations also really add to the story and give you a lot to enjoy as your read through it. I recommend this one if you are looking for a new bedtime book.

Rating: 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Myrick Marketing & Media, LLC and Tiny Owl Publishing for the review copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.