Entertaining story about seeing just one part of the animal and misconstruing into a monster without seeing the whole picture.

The illustrations were fun, and while the overall story was a bit entertaining it lacked substance for me. However, I could see kids finding it funny as they guessed at what Leo's monster actually was.

This was so fun. My kids wanted to read it again and again. This will definitely be on repeat for awhile. Both characters worked so well, and I enjoyed doing their different voices.

I really enjoyed reading this and better yet I know every child in my life would too. It’s very in tune with child amusement and interest. I loved the artwork and I’m very glad I got a chance to read this. Thank you.

I was attracted to this book because it was written by Marcus Pfister. My granddaughter was attracted to it because, you guessed it, it is about a monster. This was not a scary story at all, but rather funny. City Mouse, Leo is off to the country to visit his friend Zoe. She leaves him to explore and he runs into a monster. It has a all the characteristics of a monster; gigantic, enormous tail, horns, loud, smelly and more. Of course it turns out it is not a monster at all. Can you guess what Leo saw? My granddaughter thought Leo was funny thinking he saw a monster. She guessed right away what it was and why Leo thought it might be a monster. This did not mean she didn’t like the book. We read it three times back to back. The illustrations were delightful. They were large and colourful and will definitely have young readers and listeners engaged. A wonderful book for a family library, preschool classroom or public library.

This is a cute picture book all about revealing something little by little, with an exaggerated and humorous flare. The art is a little odd, but mostly interesting to look at, with vibrant, popping color.

When Leo visits hid friend Zoe in the country, he finds something unexpected. A monster! But, is it really? Acclaimed children's author Marcus Pfister skillfully weaves a tale of suspense as Leo describes the monster to Zoe. Children in grades pre-K through second grade will enjoy this descriptive tale with a surprise ending. A great choice for a scary but not too scary read aloud!

I  received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

The illustrations were adorable as was the story. It was such a cute little story of overactive imaginations.

Leo’s Monster is a super cute tale that keeps littles guessing until the end. It was fun to go back every few pages and review the clues with my little guy. He wanted to read it again immediately after we finished it.

A city mouse named Leo goes to the country to visit his friend Zoe. As Zoe goes to check on a cake in the oven, Leo looks around outside. Suddenly, Leo runs frantically to Zoe stammering that he saw a monster. He then describes what different parts of the monster looked like in great detail and Zoe slowly comes to realize what he actually saw. The text is nearly all dialog which sets a tone of urgency and expectation. Leo’s description of each part of the monster, “‘...it had an enorm-enorm-enormous tail…’”, is accompanied by a large and up close illustration which brings the description to life. The texture of the illustrations is similar to that of stuffed animals and make you want to reach out and touch them. Children will be delighted with each turn of the page and will be on the edge of their seats to see the actual monster. They will want to read this again and again and it will work well for storytime.

Leo's Monster
by Marcus Pfister
Reading level 4-8 years
Publication date : May 5, 2020
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description:
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 . . .
🐁MY REVIEW : 🐁
Bestselling author Marcus Pfister skillfully weaves a hilarious story of mystery, and just a hint of scariness.
I read this book to my two granddaughter's who are One & Two . I also read it to my 4 year old daughter. All 3 of them were laughing at what the monster really was. My granddaughter is almost 3 and has just entered the phase where she's scared of Monsters and The Dark. Leo's Monster
by Marcus Pfister is brilliant in its approach to helping kids conquer their fears. The story was amazing and a super fun book that all my kids love! It was short enough yet long enough to hold their attention. The illustrations are beautiful ,colorful bright and so full of life. Many thanks to the Publisher , the Author , and NetGalley for a ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family.
#LeosMonster #NetGalley

4 stars

Leo’s Monster was a cute book for kids. I like how the author added humor to Leo’s “scary situation”. When you find out who Leo’s mo after really is, it’s quite comical. And I think it’s a good lesson for kids as well to learn that not everything you aren’t familiar with is scary or a monster.

On another note, the illustrations were really cute as well!

What a cute story this is. A town mouse goes to stay with a country mouse (sound familiar). While the County Mouse is attending to her baking, Leo the town mouse has a look around outside. There he meets a monster of epic proportions. After some questions from Zoe, the country Mouse, Leo takes her to find the huge ground shaking monster.
A fun lively book about with bright illustrations. Good story to read aloud.

This book is adorable and would be really fun to read to a group of kids as they try to figure out what the monster really is. The illustrations are bright and interactive. This is a library must!

When a city mouse visits a country mouse he is sure to find new and strange thing. In particular a giant stinking grass loving monster. This enormous beast is sure to spread fear in any reader, unless they can figure it out before the end of the story. Pfister has been around forever, and his stories bring smiles to millions of faces. He puts his great mind to bring a mystery to the youngest that is both fun and educational. And the illustrations are great. They have bright colors and textures that are sure to please any reader.

Thank you to Negalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This will be available on May 5th, 2020.

This little story is about two mice. There’s a country mouse named Zoe and, and her little buddy, Leo. Leo comes to visit Zoe, but discovers a terrifying monster. As he describes it to Zoe, she starts to suspect that the monster is, in fact, bovine in nature.

I thought the illustrations were cute, and the story was entertaining. My toddler, though had another opinion. He hated it. About three pages in, he looked at me and said, “It’s just a cow,” and the disdain with which he said it was actually a wee bit funny. I’m not sure what to make of his reaction. He gravitates toward history books anyway (seriously. This four year old has all the presidents memorized and can recognize them by face). Take his opinion with that in mind.

I guess that makes this review a mixed one. I liked the book, and think it would be great for toddlers. My toddler- the target demographic- seems to disagree. Take from that what you will.

Leo’s Monster by Marcus Pfister is a beautiful little book. A wonderful story along side amazing illustrations. My young niece loved the book very much.

Cute! I enjoy Marcus Pfister books. I think it might make a good story time book for the littles. I only see the illustrations in b/w on my Kindle, but I know the hard copy will have wonderful, colorful illustrations the littles will enjoy looking at! Great book about a city mouse mistaking a common farm animal for a monster. Kids are going to love it!

This is quite a cute story. I first encountered this author's work in Who Stole the Hazelnuts?, which I didn't love (I found the pictures a bit creepy). I enjoyed Leo's Monster a lot more... and I would have liked it even better had the resolution of the story not been completely spoiled by the synopsis.

Leo, a city mouse, visits Zoe, a country mouse, and goes outside to have a look around. He comes back to Zoe's place shaken, thinking he's seen a monster. As Zoe tries to get a description of this monster out of him, the narrative and the illustrations both start to hint at a cow (which would've been much more fun to see had we not already been told that's what the monster was).

The illustrations here are really interesting. I'm not sure what you call the technique, but it looks like it's done with acrylic paint, adding an intriguing texture. The style runs throughout the illustrations, and it's used to good effect on everything from the animals' fur to the grass to a steaming pile of manure.

While I think the story is a little weak (and Leo's stammering in terror is just a little overdone), I do think this could be an entertaining book for children. Just don't read them the back matter; instead, let them try to figure out the identity of the monster on their own.

What a delightful book from well loved author Marcus Pfister. His Rainbow Fish book delighted children with bright colors and simple dialogue. This tale of a wee mouse who encounters the unknown creature in a field of green will be sure to be a favorite in both home and libraries. I loved the illustrations and the sweet story. This book will help kids to face their fears and understand that not all unknown things, once explained, are scary.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.