I Am Scary

Elise Gravel definitely has a talent for captivating young audiences with her unusual drawing style and quirky stories. I Am Scary is a tale of a scary monster trying to scare a child that refuses to be frightened. The monster wonders, “What will happen to me if I’m not scary?” The child suggests giving him a hug, and the monster transforms into a loveable creature.

The entire text is written in dialogue between the monster and child. Several portions of the monster’s dialogue are written in large red block lettering to emphasize how scary the monster is trying to be. A reoccurring blue dog on each page reacts to the monster. The child is never scared, but the dog jumps, hides, covers his eyes, sweats, tries to pull the child away from the monster, barks, and runs and hides behind a tree. The way the blue dog reacts is what would be expected when seeing a monster! But the child is brave and chooses to see something inviting in the monster and sees his goodness and insists he is huggable.

Measuring 5 ½ x 5 ½ inches, this charming, unique and witty board book is perfect for little hands and for adults to tuck away in a diaper bag for an extra giggle on the go.