Using Picture Books: Hey, That’s MY Monster!
We all sometimes feel a sense of injustice when we lose something we value. In Hey, That’s MY Monster! by Amanda Noll, Ethan loses his monster, Gabe, to his sister, Emma. He tries different ways to get Gabe back. None of them work until…
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Suggestions on how to use the book
Vocabulary Expansion
There are some interesting words in the book: toddler, roam, horror, enchanted, etc. Check that your child understands these words and if they can use them in a sentence or their own story.
Instead of using the word, said, there are many alternative words used that provide a better description of how each character speaks (whispered, coaxed, snuffled, rasped, laughed, snorted, rattled, sniffed, demanded, hissed, blurted). Get your child to say different things that represent each of those ways of speaking.
Social Awareness
Ethan was sad to have lost Gabe but instead of throwing a tantrum, he tried to find a solution so he could continue to keep Gabe. Discuss:
What Ethan did to solve his issue?
Was there ever something your child really wanted but couldn’t have?
How did they deal with it?
What might they have done differently in hindsight?
Some children find it really difficult to talk about their fears. Instead of focusing on what they are afraid of, discuss what they are NOT afraid of. E.g. Emma wasn’t afraid of the slimy monster, nor jagged claws, nor a tentacled monster.
Discuss Emma – was she being inconsiderate/spiteful/naughty for “taking” Ethan’s monster? This discussion can lead to the feeling of being wronged. Many times we can feel offended when the other person did not mean to offend us. Help your child realise that when someone does something they don’t like, it’s not always personal.
Creative exercises
Design your own monster: Get your child to draw and describe their own monster. This exercise can be done in conjunction with Are You My Monster.
Make a monster out of slime. Click here for instructions on making slime.
Comprehension
What is the purpose of a monster? Does your child realise that it’s to keep children in bed so that they go to sleep?
What is it that causes a monster to appear?
We hope you enjoyed the book as much as we did. There are several other books in this series: