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.

This was an extremely cute book with even better illustrations. My son, who is 5, absolutely loved this book and thought the wording was so fun. The stuttering of the mouse was so cute and made it even better.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Leo is a city mouse who goes to visit his friend Zoe, a country mouse, for the first time. Shortly after arriving, Leo has an encounter with a ferocious monster that terrifies him.

The rest of the book unfolds with Leo describing this creature to Zoe, who gradually realizes this so-called monster might not be the frightening, mysterious beast that Leo believes it is.

This is a brisk book, readable in just a few minutes. I can see my two year-old becoming obsessed: it has just a bit of tension and scariness, and a huge sense of wonder and imagination.

The real reason to check out the book is the gorgeous illustrations. Pfister gives the drawings a vivid sense of texture, as if you’re seeing the monster just as the mouse did. The colors are bright and vivid, and the overall effect is immersive and impressive. I only read a digital copy, so I can’t wait to see how luscious the pictures are in panoramic print.

The cleverest bit of the book is the way the monster evolves from page to page until it’s obvious we’re looking at a familiar farm animal. It’s a fun conceit that I think will play well to preschoolers.

While I don’t expect it to go down as a modern classic the way Pfister’s The Rainbow Fish has, I expect this to become a favorite for plenty of girls and boys — particularly the curious, monster-loving variety.

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.

The newest picture book from the author who gave us The Rainbow Fish, one of my favorites when I was little, is a funny story about a city mouse’s trip to the countryside and the “monster” he found there. 

The art style is wonderful, which is, of course, what we’ve come to expect from Pfister. I love how the story and the art only give small hints as to the identity of Leo’s “monster” throughout but still makes it easy to be in on the joke by the time it’s revealed to be - well I think you’ll just have to read it yourself to find that out. 

Leo’s Monster is due for release on May 5, 2020. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, NorthSouth Books, for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Leo's Monster is a cute, well-written story about a "monster" that a young mouse sees in the yard. The story while well-written, was not my favorite. I've seen tons of other children's books out there that captured my attention more. The artwork in this book was pretty well done, however, the mice themselves were off-putting to me. This book was just okay, in my opinion.

This book was provided to me through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.