Ten Creepy Monsters

July 30, 2012
Armstrong-Ellis stages a light Halloween countdown starring 10 monsters who leave the story one at a time: “Ten creepy monsters met ’neath a gnarled pine./ One blew away, and then there were nine.” The motley group includes a vampire resembling Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, a zombie that loses its foot, and an aquatic monster that falls in love with a human in a rowboat. Generously detailed acrylics provide a touch of nefarious charm, while a tender surprise ending should gratify trick-or-treaters. Ages 4–8.

August 1, 2012
This countdown romp begins with a front-cover portrait of 10 smiling and grimacing monsters before they set forth on their perilous adventure. "Ten creepy monsters met 'neath a gnarled pine. / One [a ghost] blew away, and then there were nine." So continues the predictable rhyme, with the various creatures meeting mostly unfortunate ends: The zombie loses his foot, the mummy snags his wrappings, and the vampire glances at the sunrise. Some do not perish but are only distracted; the werewolf cannot resist howling at a shocked full moon, and the sea monster, in one of the funnier (though incongruous) spreads, "found his love," who is a startled woman in a bathing suit and cat's-eye glasses near the shore. As the numbers dwindle, only a squat, goblin-green monster remains, until this "one creepy monster rushed home at a run." The page turn reveals a green mask hanging from a bedpost, Halloween candy spilling out from a sack underneath the bed and a contented boy, who "pulled up his blanket, and then there were none." Armstrong-Ellis injects just the right amount of humor into her portrayals of the ghoulish bunch, keeping the tone appropriately light, despite the body count. Best for younger readers who prefer thrills and chills with an occasional giggle. (Picture book. 3-5)

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September 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 2-When ten creepy monsters meet beneath a pine tree, they get into all sorts of trouble that helps readers count backward from ten to one. "Nine creepy monsters trudged with lurching gait./One lost his foot, /and then there were eight." Though dark and full of suspicious characters, the single pages and spreads rendered in rich acrylics are full of comedy, which keeps the book entertaining rather than scary. After the second to last monster-a vampire-rushes off in the sunrise, readers are left with one monster hurrying home. An abandoned mask, strewn candy, and a sleeping boy tell the rest of the story. Fun for Halloween or for counting anytime.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2013
This atmospheric, slightly frightening counting book begins with ten creepy creatures (not textually identified) out for a thrill. But one by one, they get left behind after various mishaps that are uneven in scariness (a zombie "lost his foot," while a swamp creature "found his love"). Illustrations in a dark palette contain hoards of spooky details and compensate for occasionally awkward rhymes.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)