A Valentine for Frankenstein

Description

Frankenstein isn't your typical monster. For starters, he only has one head, just two eyes, and no tail. And worst of all, he's sort of nice! Frankenstein quickly realizes his friendly behavior is out of place at the Valentine's Day Bash. There's one monster, though, who likes that Frankenstein is different. Can Frankenstein figure out the identity of his secret valentine? And can the other monsters finally accept Frankenstein for the monster that he is?

Leslie Kimmelman is an award-winning author of dozens of books for children, both fiction and nonfiction. She lives in Ardsley, New York. Timothy Banks is an award-winning artist and illustrator from Charleston, South Carolina. He's created character designs for Nike, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network; quirky covers for Paste magazine; and lots of children's books with titles like There's A Norseman in My Classroom and The Frankenstein Journals. Also he's had the honor to be featured in Lurzer's Archive's 200 Best Illustrators Worldwide, and his work has been shown at Gallery Nucleus LA. He also recently wrote and illustrated a monster book opus for his hometown entitled Monsters in Charleston. You can find him most days painting and watching alligators swim by in his backyard.

A menagerie of monsters with tentacles, multiple eyes, and pointy teeth are preparing for Valentine's Day festivities. And then there's Frankenstein's monster. Though he is confident in his tuxedo and 'comfortable in his own green skin, ' the friendly creature is ostracized for looking too human. At the cemetery jubilee, nothing Frankenstein does is mean, gross, or monstrous enough: his cupcake lacks bugs, his table manners are too fine, and his burp is considered no more than a hiccup. But Frankenstein's secret admirer, who gives him a valentine, leads the other monsters to accept him--friendliness and all. Drippy, drooly, slime-covered monsters in bright hues by Banks (The Frankenstein Journals) are just fiendish enough to provide light scares, while the Valentine's Day-Halloween mash-up is ideal for kids who think smooching is pretty gross.--Publishers Weekly -- "Journal" (11/12/2018 12:00:00 AM) Frankenstein is really bad--at being a monster. He only has two eyes and no tail, he's kind of polite, and he's not even that disgusting. There's no way he'll be popular at the Valentine's Day Bash, where everyone is trying to be as revolting as possible. Frankenstein tries to be upbeat, so he slaps on a smile (literally) and his worst suit and heads to the dance, where he fails miserably at the cupcake-decorating contest (he uses glitter instead of fungus), the banana-slug-pie-eating contest (he's disqualified when he daintily wipes his mouth), and the belching contest ('You call that a burp?'). After this series of downers, even endless optimist Frankenstein is a little dejected, but what's this? Someone has slipped a valentine into his pocket! Could someone like him, even though he's not much of a monster, after all? There's never a dull moment in this Halloween-Valentine's Day mashup, and the frenetic, slime-covered illustrations give readers plenty to look at. A brightly colored, action-packed lesson in being yourself.--Booklist -- "Journal" (8/29/2018 12:00:00 AM) No matter how much the other monsters tease him, Frankenstein is 'comfortable in his own green skin.' All the monsters are preparing for the Valentine's Day Bash, but even though Frankenstein (the monster, not the doctor) is wearing his 'worst tuxedo, ' 'crookedest smile, ' and droopiest flower, the other monsters tease him: 'Just two eyes!' 'No tail.' 'And he's nice. . . . Blech!' Indeed he is. He retrieves a child's muddy toy, compliments others even when they are unkind to him, and helps out a skeleton who has fallen apart. But kindness isn't the only storyline here. Frankenstein becomes smitten with Belcher, a monster he's never met before, and she feels the same, slipping a valentine in his pocket asking him to be hers. The other monsters don't understand what she sees in him. 'I've never met a friendly monster before, ' she enthuses. 'He's my kind of monster!' And just like that, the other monsters see Frankenstein's kindness as a positive quality and finally accept him. Banks' digital illustrations go overboard (in a good way) in portraying the gruesome and grotesque, and small details in the spreads will delight careful observers. The bright palette features some almost-fluorescent shades, and his monsters are definitely a diverse bunch. Regardless of the monsters' rather sudden turnabout, Frankenstein models self-assurance and kindness, both of which are much needed.--Kirkus Reviews -- "Journal" (9/12/2018 12:00:00 AM)