We Wish for a Monster Christmas

The holidays don’t need much help to get chaotic, but one family is really in for it after two siblings ask Santa for a monster for Christmas. Reworking the lyrics of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” with style (and lots of household destruction), Fliess contrasts the children’s joy about their new friend/pet with their parents’ less-than-thrilled reactions (“Our mom took up meditation./ Our dad hollered in frustration./ But we had a celebration/ with monsterly cheer!”). In lively digital illustrations, Ranucci pictures the monster as an overgrown beast with lustrous red-orange fur, a spiky tail, and evident affection for the children, even as he inadvertently turns the house upside-down with his mess making. The decision to simply leave the monster out in the yard isn’t the most satisfying wrap-up, but the anarchic closing scene will leave kids laughing. Ages 3–up. [em]Author’s agent: Jennifer Unter, Unter Agency. Illustrator’s agency: Plum Pudding Illustration. (Oct.) [/em]