There's a Monster at the End of This Book
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the Page Grabbers stage.
Why it fits Page Grabbers (for young toddlers who treat books as things to do)
Grover begs the reader not to turn the pages - so of course they must. It makes page-turning itself the drama. Comic timing that teaches what suspense is.
What makes it special
It weaponizes the page-turn: Grover begs you not to, so turning becomes the drama itself. The illustrations of his rope-and-brick barricades collapsing are slapstick at its purest. A book about the irresistibility of continuing — and the harmless joy of doing it anyway — reads differently, and better, than any autoplay queue.
About Jon Stone
Jon Stone (1931–1997) was Sesame Street's co-creator, head writer, and defining director — winner of eighteen Emmys — and The Monster at the End of This Book distills his genius: comedy built from a child's own power over the page.
Stone wrote the book at the height of early Sesame Street, applying the show's radical idea — respect the child's intelligence, let them be in on the joke — to paper; it became the best-selling Sesame book ever.
Also by this author: Another Monster at the End of This Book
More from “Books That Do Things”
This book is part of The Best Books for Toddlers: 30 Teacher Picks (Page Grabbers) in our guide The Best Children’s Books by Age — 120 books chosen by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX. Come see how we build readers →
Nobody paid for this review — not the author, not the publisher — and the store link above earns us nothing. Our only interest is the reader this book fits.