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The Monsters Inside – Children’s Book Review

I love reading with my kids. I especially like to find children’s books that address real life issues in a fun, easy to read manner. The Monsters Inside is written by Belinda O’Brien and illustrated by Jemina Venter. Read on to learn more about the book – The Monsters Inside.

When the book arrived I flipped through it quickly and decided to save reading it until I could sit down without distractions with my 4 year old son. Buddy and I read the book for the first time together and he was quite enthralled. After we finished reading we talked about how counting could help us calm down instead of getting upset and he really seemed to grasp the concept. Later in the day I heard him telling his sister to count (she was probably irritated with him at the time!).

The story is easy to read, and rhymes. I personally enjoy children’s books that rhyme as they create a nice song-like rhythm. It was fun to read. The illustrations were simple but clear. The images clearly portrayed the words which is helpful for younger readers.

The book is about a boy named Jack who has monsters inside that come out when he doesn’t get his way. In the story his mom teaches him to count to ten when he feels the monsters coming out. The story then shares a few examples of Jack using the new counting strategy.

As a parent I liked the message of the story. We all have times where we get angry and it is always good to stop and think before reacting. I like how this helps to teach children a strategy for calming down that could help them their entire lives.

A few days later I captured the pictures below as Buddy was reading (looking at the pictures) the book to himself.

I would recommend purchasing this book. It is great to help preemptively teach about dealing with emotions from an early age or to help teach a coping strategy to older children.