A Monster in the House Hardback - 1998

From the publisher

In this newest picture book by beloved storyteller and collage artist Elisa Kleven, a young girl describes for her new neighbor -- a boy who loves to play monster -- the real monster living in her house. As she tells it, the monster screams and roars if she and her parents don't pay attention to him every single second; he drinks special monster milk and eats special monster food that he squeezes through his hands like finger paint; he spits up on everyone and everything -- and that's only the half of it! Listening to her tale, the fascinated boy imagines all sorts of wonderfully horrible things -- until he finds out, in a delightful surprise ending, who the monster really is.

Elisa Kleven has found a hilarious way to appeal to her young fans. Readers and listeners (especially those with younger siblings) will begin to guess who the monster is and will relish in the girl's icky yet matter-of-fact descriptions. All will enjoy the marvelous visualizations of her imaginative new friend. Elisa Kleven's sparkling collage artwork, and her storytelling, have the same ability as a child's imagination to transform the everyday into the humorous, fantastic, and magical.