Kitchen Table Reviews: There Was An Old Monster! by Rebecca, Adrian & Ed Emberley
Get in the Halloween spirit with this new take on an old favorite featuring fabulously fun artwork and a catchy song.
There Was An Old Monster! by Rebecca, Adrian & Ed Emberley
We’re back in the swing of the Halloween spirit, again, this week… and how better to prepare for a night of ghosts and goblins than to read a book about an “old monster?”
Me: What’s the verdict on this one?
Son: I liked it. The pictures are really cool—there’s lots of color and it’s all kind of gross and spooky, but not too bad for little kids.
Daughter: I didn’t like it as much as the regular one.
Me: Uh, define “the regular one.”
Daughter: Well, it’s kind of a play on the “I know an old lady who swallowed a fly,” story, right? The monster swallowed one thing, then another to catch that one, then another to catch that one, and so on. I kept hearing the tune for the old lady song in my head, only because this one not only has different words, it has that added “scritchy scratch, scritch scritchy scratch” verse in there, it didn’t flow as well.
Me: Well it’s funny you should say that; I agree that if you’re hearing the same song we used to sing when you were little, this feels a little clunky. But it turns out that they recorded their own song, and we can listen to it online.
And so we went online and listened to the song, which had us all tapping our toes.
Me: I like that not only do they have this kind of groovy, hip-hop-esque tune to go with it, did you notice the book credits? The song was written by the daughter of the woman wrote the words to the book, and the author’s father did the artwork. Isn’t that neat?
Daughter: That’s pretty cool. And I do like the song, though it’d be even cooler if they had something online to let little kids know when to turn the page, so they could listen and follow along.
Son: I think I like this version better than the original. The monster is funny. And so are all the creatures. And the ending is awesome!
Daughter: I like the artwork best of everything, but what is up with that drawing of a jackal? What is a jackal, anyway?
Me: It’s sort of like a wolf.
Daughter: Oh. Well, it’s creepy-looking in here.
Son: Yeah but that’s on purpose.
Me: Okay, would you recommend this book for little kids?
Son: Absolutely!
Daughter: I don’t know. I’d worry they’d be scared.
Me: I don’t think it’s scary. I think it’s goofy and fun.
Pros: You have to love a book that’s a three-generation family affair. Fabulously fun artwork. Little kids will enjoy bopping along to the associated rhythm-heavy song.
Cons: Very different from the original, and so feels a little clunky if that’s what you’re expecting. Possibly scary for the very young. Confusion about jackals.
There Was An Old Monster gets two and a half thumbs up (my daughter staunchly maintains her allegiance to the original “There Was An Old Lady” song) from our kitchen table.
