Children's Book Review: Hey! There Are Monsters at My House! by Marlene Thalman

Hey! There are MONSTERS at my house!: Reggie and Rufus by Marlene Thalman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A brave young duo searches their house for signs of monsters!

Hey! There Are Monsters at My House is a new children’s picture book by author-illustrator Marlene Thalman and features a young boy, afraid of the dark, who searches his house with his pet cat for signs that monsters are there. With its rhyming narrative and colorful illustrations, the story is perfect for sharing with children who are experiencing nighttime fears.

Reggie is the bright-eyed redhead who is afraid of the dark. He and his sidekick, Rufus, team up to search the house – high and low – for the monsters they fear lurk in the dark, out-of-the-way corners of their bedroom, attic, and basement. I liked how the book showed what the rooms looked like with the lights on and then with them off so you see what was really behind the scary images, such as the high-contrast t-shirt in the bedroom closet with the white circles that resemble glowing eyes once the lights are out.

Fear of things in the dark is a universal one affecting all ages and genders to some degree or another. For me, this commonality is perfectly depicted when Reggie and Rufus bravely descend to the basement, and the lights unexpectedly go out. The knobs and dials on the furnace, washer, and dryer could easily resemble eyes as they reflect any stray source of light. The story would be a fun way to calm children’s fears before bedtime, and I think this book would receive multiple readings.

I did have a little difficulty clearly reading the narrative at times because of the font used or the placement of the words over some of the illustrations, but I still recommend HEY! THERE ARE MONSTERS AT MY HOUSE to those with children who are expressing fears of the dark.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

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