Eat Pete!

The hairy, snaggletoothed, horned monster who appears at Pete’s window isn’t some misunderstood creature in search of a friend, the kind of character that’s a fixture in so many children’s books. Nope, this monster has one goal in mind: “EAT PETE!” Pete doesn’t know that, though, and after greeting the monster as a new playmate, he comes up with lots of ways for the two to have fun. In fact, the monster has such a good time—racing and crashing toy cars, building with blocks, and playing pirates (the monster must walk the plank, and his expression of high melodrama is worthy of classic Hollywood)—that, while he gets dreamy-eyed and drools at the thought of eating Pete, he’s able to delay gratification, at least for a little while. The story ends more conventionally than it begins: the monster apologizes; the two friends hug it out. But readers should enjoy this clever tale from Rex (Goodnight Goon) about impulse control and its surprisingly sympathetic monster. Ages 2–5. [em](Aug.) [/em]