Loch Mess Monster by Helen Lester-ESSENTIAL

Lester, Helen, ill. By Lynn Munsnger, The Loch Mess Monster. Pgs. 30. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. PICTURE BOOK. $16.99

In faraway Scotland, under the sea, lives 3 Loch Ness Monsters. Angus and his parents, Nessie and Fergus. There are five basic monster rules of the house: 1.)Never behave in a monstrous manner, 2.)Never eat with your thumbs, 3.) Always say “Excuse me” when you cough, sneeze, or burp, 4.)Always pick up after yourself, and 5.)Never ever ever go to the surface of the loch. For the most part Angus is good at following the rules except for the rule about picking up after yourself. He is so messy that his parents tell him he can’t come out of his room until he cleans up after himself. Will Angus clean up after himself or will he find himself breaking other rules as well?

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Helen Lester does a great job of creating unique characters in a short, fun to read picture book. The pictures are detailed, entertaining, and fit the text well. This picture book is perfect to read aloud with kids and teach them the importance of cleaning up after themselves, especially if they’re a fan of monsters.

PreK, EL (K-3). ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, WHI Public Library.