Leo (a city mouse) goes to visit his friend, Zoe (a country mouse), and he sees a monster. He describes this monster in great detail to Zoe, and Zoe asks questions about the monster, like if it breathed fire. Zoe thinks that Leo might be exaggerating a little bit, so she asks to see the monster.

My 4yo really enjoys the premise of this book. The premise is clever and the illustrations are eye-catching. As a parent, I could have done without mention of poop. It doesn't add to the story and it's pretty odd placement. We've started skipping over that part when reading the story to our kiddo.

A funny story about changing perceptions. I thought the artwork was unique and the message of the book was interesting. The overall story was fun and sweet.

I feel like Leo’s Monster is a really different book from what Marcus Pfister typically writes. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy this book because I did, it just wasn’t what I was expecting from him. I feel like his sense of humour really shone throughout this piece of writing, and it was really lovely to see something different from him.

I must first mention what I think of the illustrations because my feelings are mixed or were… at first, I was unsure that I liked the illustrations, but as I continued to read through the book, they grew on me, and I decided I liked their point of difference. I don’t think I have seen a children’s book illustrated like this before.

The story is charming, and I can see that it will be a lot of fun reading to children, especially when Leo is trying to describe the ‘monster.’ I love a story that allows you to build momentum with your voice and creates intrigue as you turn the page. I like the cheeky sense of humour of Leo’s friend Zoe and how she knows that there isn’t a monster but has fun with Leo about it anyway. I also think it is very creative how the ‘monster’ morphs throughout the story, and it feels like a child’s imagination is playing out on the page.

Overall, I think this book will be a lovely read for children and an excellent addition to Marcus Pfister’s collection of books.

Colorful pictures and easy to read! Every kid will love the mystery!! Are things always what they seem to be?

Leo’s Monster
By: Marcus Pfister
4.0 / 5.0

This picture book was enjoyable to read. I loved Rainbow Fish from Marcus Pfister and I loved this one too. I loved the illustrations and the story. It was a lighthearted story about how fear can alter how we see things. To a child, it will just seem like a great story. The illustrations are fun and colorful. This would be a fast bedtime read. You could even give the mice different voices, which would enhance the experience more. I will definitely be recommending this book ( for the storyline as well as the author).

Author’s Site: http://www.marcuspfister.ch/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Leos-Monster-Marcus-Pfister/dp/0735844178/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Leo%27s+monster&qid=1591393186&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/leos-monster-marcus-pfister/1134081046?ean=9780735844179

This review will appear on my blog on July 7, 2020.

Thank you, NorthSouth Books and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Leo’s Monster is a cute story about a city mouse named Leo, who visits his friend Zoe who lives in the country.

When Leo visits Zoe, he does some exploring outside and runs into a terrifying monster. He runs back to Zoe and tells her all about it, and Zoe asks him to describe it. With each part of the description, Zoe pieces together what Leo really saw, and she realizes that the monster is a friendly cow named Bertha.

The illustrations in this book were a lot of fun. With each exaggerated description that Leo gives, there’s a picture to go with it. Slowly, as he describes the tail, feet, body, etc. a picture forms, revealing what the monster is. I also liked the details in the illustrations, and how you could see the texture of the animals and grass and everything else.

I liked that this book teaches kids about putting information together to form a picture or a conclusion. I also like that it shows kids that things aren’t always what they seem. For Leo, the cow is scary because he’s never seen one before, but once Zoe introduces them and explains, Leo isn’t scared anymore.

I think that this book would be fun to read out loud to kids, especially if you let them try to guess what the monster is as Leo describes it.

This was such a cute book about imagination! It was bright ,colorful, and clever. Little kids will love this story.

It is about a city mouse Leo who visits his friend a country mouse Zoe. He sees a monster and tries explaining it. Is it really a monster? The illustrations are cute, bright and colourful.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

An easy to read book with very cute illustrations. Reminds me a lot of the city mouse and country mouse. One little mouse has a big imagination and describes to his friend in great detail of what he saw or what he claimed he saw. Kids will enjoy the silliness of this book.

This was a clever take from the traditional City Mouse, Country Mouse story. The mouse from the city, Leo, explores on his own briefly only to assume that he's encountered a monster. As describes the monster that he encountered to the country mouse, Zoe, the reader gradually comes to realize that what he's seen wasn't a monster at all and that Leo simply doesn't have the experience to know what he's seen. There's a lot of clever play with the illustrations as Leo's description evolves the imagined monster from dragon-like to bovine. I'd read this book with my younger students. It's fun.

This might of been the cutest children's book ever! It's about a mouse who thinks he saw a monster. He describes the monster to his friend but she doesn't believe him.

I am going to need my own copy of this and one for the girls to have! I loved every second of reading it to them.

The illustrations were phenomenal and someone put a lot of love and care into this wonderful book!

When Leo goes to visit his friend Zoe, he comes across a scary monster but Zoe thinks she might know the identity of this strange beast...

I enjoyed reading through this book as every layer of description helped unfold the mysterious identity of Leo's monster. The story is well-written and sure to bring joy to children as it is read aloud. There are plenty of colourful pictures throughout too.

Leo's Monster is a cute children's book about a mouse who thinks he saw a monster. He describes the monster to his friend, but she is not convinced. From what I gather, this book is based on a fable called The Country Mouse and the City Mouse, but it is a modern adaptation.

This is an adorable book about not understanding and being scared of unfamiliar places. It might seem like there are monsters and that everything is wrong but really, if you stop and look, things are no so bad.

The illustrations throughout are very well done and fun to look at, I think young readers will really enjoy them and really enjoy the 'twist' ending of the cows appearance. I am honestly a little sad that the synopsis give that part away. I often do not read children's book synopses, I like to go in blind and I was happily surprised by Berta.

Leo's Monster by Marcus Pfister is a picturebook currently scheduled for release on My 5 2020. When Leo, the city mouse, visits his friend Zoe in the countryside for the first time, he meets a huge and horrible monster. It’s gigantic, has lots of horns, an enormous tail, and when it roars, the earth shakes. At least that’s what Leo saw. Or did he? Zoe thinks his description sounds just like Berta, the sweet-tempered cow in the meadow.

Leo's Monster is a brightly illustrated story that reminded me of the old legend about the blind men and the elephant. Trying to describe something we have never encountered before can be hard, and overcoming fear when facing something we do not know or understand can be hard. I think this story does a good job of showing readers that they are not alone in these reactions, and that sharing with a friend or trusted adult can help alleviate the fear, and find the truth behind the matter. I loved the artwork, and thought the changes to the 'monster' as the story progressed was a perfect touch.

This is a fun book and one Ada really liked. It has fun illustrations and flows nicely. It is easy to enjoy reading with a young child and one she enjoyed going back to, for another read.

We loved the illustrations of this book. The story was easy to read and follow, as my 7 year old read the book to me. I think the audience for this book would be preschool age as my 7 year old liked it but said it was "a bit boring, Mom". But that could simply be because he is older. I will say he loved when he guessed what the monster was before we were told in the book!

I will definitely put this on my list to read to my 2nd grade students. Leo's Monster is pretty interactive to where the reader can guess, guess, and keep guessing to figure out who this Monster is that Leo stumbled upon!

A simple, short read. Leo creates the picture of his monster with fun descriptions! I think there could have been a more outright stated teaching point at the end when Leo realized that his monster was a regular cow. Just a quick blurb about new things seeming scary at first.
Overall, it was a cute book and the illustration was great.
This is a great book for small children that are getting ready to meet new animals or see new places, to show them sometimes their imagination gets wild.

I was given this ebook to read from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Leo's Monster by Marcus Pfister is a cute story of a city mouse visiting a country mouse, and a creature he encounters that he's never before seen. It's a great story to use as a jumping off point about perspective - how something new or different can seem frightening at first. The illustrations are very colorful and imaginative, and go from extremely outlandish, to revealing the true identity of the "monster."

I read this book with my 5 year old, who thought it was a little funny, but just ok. The country mouse was scared and was stammering, but it got to be a little redundant. Overall, it was a simple and enjoyable read with a nice message about perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley and North South Books Inc. for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for a honest review.