Jeremy Draws a Monster

Where Harold used his purple crayon to get out of scrapes, Jeremy's blue pen causes him problems after he designs a cantankerous, linebacker-sized monster who demands a long list of items before commanding, “Draw me a hat. I'm going out!” Jeremy draws a magnificent red top hat and the monster waddles out the door, only to return later that night and commandeer the bed. “The next morning, Jeremy drew a bus ticket and a suitcase,” and he last sees his tormentor watching him from the bus's back window. McCarty, who favored atmospheric, silver-gray pencil drawings in books like Moon Plane , floats this story's action in white negative space. Yet even if the pen, ink and watercolor illustrations have a sharper edge, the monster's wide-set pinprick eyes and squat, potato-shaped body echo McCarty's Hondo and Fabian. The monster is obnoxious, but it's also a catalyst: after it leaves, Jeremy quits his seclusion and plays with other kids. Jeremy's creation has attitude to spare and although it's annoying, readers may lament its hasty departure. Ages 3–6. (Sept.)