What is it about the books you read as a child that stick out in your mind? Was it a particular character (Where the Wild Things Are)? A style of the illustrations (The Very Hungry Caterpillar)? Or was it the repetition and the rhythm of the words as they were read on the page (The Cat in the Hat). These three elements came to mind when I read Chris Mason’s the Willie and Company series. This includes: Ten Little Monsters Standing in a Line, Ten Terrific Monsters: A Hidden Item Book, and How to Draw the Ten Little Monsters.

The key to a successful picture book series is a marketing plan that surpasses a simple story and colorful drawings. Kid readers want merchandise to go along with it. Toys, t-shirts, and other swag reminds them to pull the book off of their shelf to read before bedtime each night.

Mason has recognized this and to complement his story, Ten Little Monsters Standing in a Line. He, along with illustrator Vladimir Cebu, created companion books to continue the story. The first is a kind of Where’s Waldo-style book featuring the characters of the original story that asks the reader to locate different characters and situations from a checklist. The other is a “how to” drawing tutorial book. As the title suggests, it teaches you how to draw the ten little monsters.

Ten Little Monsters Standing in a Line

The story begins with the 10 monsters standing in front of the unemployment office. The 10 monsters are familiar characters, young versions of Dracula, The Wolfman, The Mummy, and more. As a lifelong horror fan, these characters are my cup of tea.

Despite their horror-based origins, the monsters are cute and friendly-looking, just not patient. One by one, they each come up with an excuse to step out of line. Why they’re in the unemployment line to begin with isn’t ever specified. Maybe it’s a commentary on how the Universal Movie Monsters are a thing of the past?

Given the fact that this is a children’s book, I thought I may be reading too much into it. However, the Hidden Item Book seems to suggest that as well. But it was an interesting setting in place of a more kid-friendly place. An amusement park, food line, or one that better fit the monster theme, like a castle or haunted house seems more appropriate.

The excuse that each monster gives is appropriate to his personality and/or species. Dracula can’t handle the sun, Kong leaves to climb a tree, etc. It makes you want to read on to find out who else will step out of line and why. It was surprising, though, that Willie the Wolf wasn’t the last one to go. He seems to be the main monster of this series. However, he is the first to leave.

The hang up I had with the text was in the inconsistency of the rhythm of each page. Some lines attempt to rhyme while others run on, creating a mouthful for the reader to recite. The witty humor seems a bit advanced, and the wordiness is often unnecessary as the illustrations tend to fill in the blanks.

Ten Terrific Monsters: A Hidden Item Book

Speaking of illustrations, Ten Terrific Monsters: A Hidden Item Book puts the drawings front and center. Willie the Wolf returns as the narrator who guides the reader through each page, instructing them on how to search through each illustration and find the objects and characters listed on the opposite page.

In this book, the 10 little monsters are named, and you get to see where the live and/or hang out. Even images of the author and illustrator are drawn into the book, creating extra Easter eggs to hunt down.  At the end of the book, the answers are circled on a duplicate image of each scene.

I read this book on a Kindle so it was a little difficult to see, but the search is a bit of a challenge. It’s not as detailed as a Where’s Waldo?, but it may take a reader a little older than the audience intended for the original 10 Little Monsters book to find the hidden items from the list.

How to Draw the Ten Little Monsters

Illustrator Vladimir Cebu gets to shine in this book which is simply a step-by-step tutorial on how to draw the ten little monsters. The monsters themselves are round and cartoonish. Cebu shows the reader where to place the correct lines and circles so that each character can be drawn in six steps or less.

An elementary school-aged kid should have no problem following along with the book. However, to really pull off a successful drawing, the artist is going to need some natural ability or be older than the intended audience of the Ten Little Monsters book.

Still, as a kid I loved checking out How to Draw books out of the library and attempting to pull off a drawing way beyond my skill level. And if worst came to worst, I would just trace it. As an adult, I tried my hand at Willie the Wolf using the tutorial provided in the book. This confirmed the fact that it would take an artistic kid to produce an accurate drawing.

A hidden lesson

Aside from keeping classic horror monsters alive, the Ten Little Monsters book is a basic lesson in subtraction that counts backwards one at a time. However, it pulls this off without seeming like a math book. Instead, it encourages the reader to call out the answer and begin to understand that counting works both ways.

So, if you’re looking for an art, math, or activity book for your young reader, you can purchase Chris Mason’s Willie and Company series here (not an affiliate link)!

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