cover image Resdan

Resdan

Paco Abril. Everest Publishing, $14.99 (31pp) ISBN 978-84-241-7979-3

Gr 2-4-Andr s is tired of being laughed at, scolded, and scorned. His parents, his schoolmates, and even his little sister get angry with him and tell him that he is impossible, clumsy, and monstrous. The daily ridicule has him feeling worse and worse about himself. One day while home alone, Andr s draws a monster, unknowingly bestowing the creature with all of his own worst traits. All of a sudden, it comes to life, jumps off the page, and hides behind a teddy bear. Once over his fear and surprise, Andr s gets to know his creation and chooses a name for it that is an anagram of his own. What he learns is that everybody has a little monster inside of them, things that they dislike about themselves. By the end of the story, the boy has embraced his monster and even grown to love it. All it took was bringing it out into the light. The illustrations show stylized characters in a three-toned palette with a 1950s feel. An appealing story with a powerful message.