Making Friends with Frankenstein: A Book of Monstrous Poems and Pictures

My 5 year-old son is smitten with everything spooky and monstrous and creepy. If it has all those components AND makes him laugh, he is over the top! "Making Friends with Frankenstein: A Book of Monstrous Poems and Pictures" definitely does it for him. This is one of those books that we checked out of the library and renewed until we couldn't renew any more. We're buying two copies. One for our own library and one for his class. And let me tell you about the accompanying artwork! The author notes that "I write my poems and do my drawings at the same time. That way, I can include some things in the pictures that I don't include in the text and vice versa." McNaughton's brilliant illustrations partner with his sometimes shocking, always funny, and generally perfectly-metered rhyme to make this book an oft-requested read. This is an ageless keeper.

While there is no shortage of mind-stimulating poetry and literature for young kids these days, I still can't help but stand up and cheer for collections such as these. I think that helping kids learn the entertainment and enjoyment side of reading is so crucial at this age, and this book fills that need perfectly. McNaughton has a talent for giving you both the creeps and the giggles at the same time with his icky prose and imaginative illustrations. Are all these Silverstein-esque poems about monster's? No, but they pretty much all appeal to the young readers sense of humor. "Call a doctor/Call the vet!/I've just been bitten/By teacher's pet!" The grossest one to read aloud would probably be "Ogre My Dead Body! (The Ogre's Song" which goes a little something like this, "An wen I needs a midnite snack,/Heer them hewmin bones go CRACK!/CRACK, CRACK, midnite snack,/Heer them hewmin bones go CRACK!" OK, this might not make the best bed-time reading. Better save it for day-light.

I thought that the book was funny, and kind of gross. My favorite poem was "Georgie Porgie" because it was hilarious. I also like "Teacher's Pet" and "Heartless" because they were also hilarious. I would recommend this book to people who like poems, like me.