Book Review Genre 3
TWU assignment
LS 5603 – 20
Monster Motel
Bibliographic Data:
Florian, Douglas. 1993. Monster Motel. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich. ISBN 780152553203
Plot Summary:
Monster Motel is Douglas Florian’s book of poetry about all types of monsters. The book, which consists of fourteen poems, is also illustrated by Florian.
Analysis:
Children will love this fun group of poems about monsters who are more wacky than scary. Florian effectively uses a variety of techniques to make these poems amusing. First, rhyme is a major component of the poetry. For example, here are the first lines of “The Brilly,”
However, although rhyme is a consistent technique throughout the book, Florian"The Brilly is a silly beast;
It has no sense, to say the least.
It wears its shoes upon its hands
And ties its feet with rubber bands."
does not stop there. He also uses alliteration, like in the “The Teek.”
"The Teek is very tiny,
A short and stunted shrimp.
It’s positively puny,
This peewee of a wimp."
Repetition is used in the poems too. This makes for a great read aloud. “The Tweet” provides a good example of this in lines three through twelve. Here is an example.
"Some feet are jumping up and down.
Some feet are heading into town.
Some feet are running to and fro,"
Florian also employs the technique of onomatopoeia in the poems. Here is an example of the use of onomatopoeia with the words "smack" and "moan".
"Monsters smack and monsters smash"
"Monsters mash and monsters moan"
The words that are used are carefully chosen to compliment each other and lend to the rhythm, rhyme, and fun.
Finally, the best part is the ridiculousness of each monster, about whom each poem discusses one by one. The “Crim” cries so much that he has created a lake; “The tweet” has an uncountable number of feet, which take him nowhere; and “the Monster Chef” cooks up some really yucky dishes! Florian shows his expertise in using anthropomorphism to humanize the monsters. The book ends with a perfect closing poem that completes this fabulous collection.
The illustrations, which are done in a combination of watercolor, pen, and ink, really make the monsters come alive. Without the superb illustrations, it would be hard to picture a “Gazzygoo,” or a “Bleen”! They are large, bright, and clear, with each occupying the adjacent page to each poem. There is a simplicity to the illustrations that really provides character by making the monsters comical. The combination of mediums really works well in Monster Motel.
Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal, 06/01/1993
“Florian's creatures are, however, gentle and bizarre rather than scary. Some of the more interesting ones are those that might exist almost anywhere.” --Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Publishers Weekly, 05/03/1993
“Jaunty verses with a kid-pleasing combination of whimsy and grossness describe the zany creatures ("The Fabled Feerz,'' "The Purple Po,'' et al.) who inhabit Florian's decidedly outre hostelry.”
The above reviews are from Book Index with Reviews. 2007 EBSCO Publishing, Powered by The Title Source TM (Accessed through http://online.twu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_142_1 on October 1, 2007).
Connections:
Some books with similar themes: A Hatful of Seuss: Five Favorite Dr. Suess Stories by Doctor Seuss; Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex; and Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Williams.
Activities: This book would be a great prelude to having the class write and draw some our their own crazy monsters.
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