I WILL CHOMP YOU!

by Jory John, illustrated by Bob Shea. Penguin BYR, 2015. Recommended for ages 3-7. 

If you stepped inside my library during a recent reading of this book, you would have heard a ferocious sounding monster (a.k.a the librarian) roaring out:

“I WILL CHOMP YOU, BUSTER!”

Then you would have heard my kindergartners scream back:

“I WILL CHOMP YOU!”

Squealing in delight and quivering with anticipation, my kinders beg me to turn the page.

“You’ve been officially WARNED!” hollers the monster. Then he lunges out and …

“CHOMP!”

and misses. Then he warns us:

“You do NOT want to turn another page, buster.”

… as the story continues, we quickly learn that this monster has something to hide and will use everything at his disposal, including bribery and deceit, to prevent us from finding what’s inside the book ...

This deceptively simple and wonderfully interactive story had my students laughing, shouting, and jumping up in excitement. The oversize words encouraged students to read aloud and interact with the story. Soon they realize that under no circumstances can this monster be trusted – he’ll do anything, even risk a stomach ache, to prevent us from discovering his secret.

Read the full review at Good Reads with Ronna. Thanks to Ronna Mandel for letting me review the book and keep it for my students.