Go Away, Big Green Monster!

Awhile back, Patty got our niece, Katiana, to begin calling me Uncle Larry Monster, in the nicest, Sesame Streetest sort of way. Later we inaugurated a new game. I would stand in a doorway, and Katiana would yell, "Go away, Uncle Larry Monster." After I closed the door, she would beckon, "Come back, Uncle Larry Monster."

Perhaps she got the idea from book two in our FIVE-DAY MONSTER MARATHON, Ed Emberley's Go Away, Big Green Monster! In this book the ambassador of 'anyone can draw' builds a monster face, feature by feature-two big yellow eyes, long bluish-greenish nose, big red mouth with sharp white teeth, and so on.

But we're not afraid, "so GO AWAY, scraggly purple hair!", etc. Until our monster disappears. All of this is done with bold colors, basic shapes, and die-cut pages, giving the monster a 3-D effect.

Go Away, Big Green Monster! would be good for drawing practice as well, breaking down the task into doable parts. Creative and coordinated youngsters who are already drawing could easily adapt the features to create new, even sillier monsters.

For now, Maya and I are going to enjoy the text.

Here's another great monster song provided you don't have downstairs neighbors.

Monster, Monster

Monster, monster under the bed,
(Cup hands around mouth)
You should go somewhere else instead!
(Shake finger)
Go, Monster, go!
(Stamp feet slowly)
Go, Monster, go!
(Stamp feet faster)
Go, monster, go, go, go!
(Stamp feet very fast)