School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Grown-ups know that kids generally don't like eating broccoli. Apparently, neither do monsters. Sure, they like tractors, rocket ships, and boulders. Only don't give them artichokes, lima beans, or anything green. When the "monsters" eat giant maple trees, though, they discover they have been fooled into eating the dreaded broccoli. The next spread reveals that the monsters are children who have fallen for that age-old adult trick of calling broccoli "trees." Not only that, but they also discover that "trees" are so delicious, they beg for "Another helping, please." For the most part, the rhyming text flows nicely when read aloud but it stumbles when the monsters repeatedly shout, "Fum,/foe,/fie,/fee,/monsters don't eat broccoli." The gouache illustrations are bright and textured; they pop off the page. However, the monsters and the backgrounds are done in similar hues so that the creatures sometimes blend into the scenery. Among a crowded field, this title doesn't stand out. Recommend Mitchell Sharmat's Gregory, the Terrible Eater (Scholastic, 1984) or Kenneth Oppel's The King's Taster (HarperCollins, 2009) instead.-Laura Lutz, formerly at Queens Borough Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
"Fum, foe, fie, fee, monsters don't eat broccoli!" With a toe-tapping beat and loud, splashy spreads, this paean to mealtime chaos will charm small monsters everywhere. The monsters in Hendra's paintings are lumpy, friendly-looking things who stomp through cities and forests, refusing broccoli in favor of more appetizing fare: "We'd rather snack on tractors/ or a rocket ship or two,/ or tender trailer tidbits,/ or a wheely, steely stew." They roam through a monster grocery store past shelves of multicolored construction vehicles ("3 for 2 tractors") and skyscrapers; in another scene they perch on cliffs while fishing for boats ("we crave our fish 'n' ships"). In the final spreads, two picnicking monsters (one striped, the other with polka dots) are revealed to be a pair of children, munching not on maple trees but on-wait for it-broccoli florets ("And WOW are they delicious!/ Another helping, please"). Hicks's (The Secret Life of Walter Kitty) message about healthy eating comes off comic, not preachy. Too much fun to limit to kids who don't like broccoli. Ages 5-8. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
