What Makes a Monster?

Discovering the World's Scariest Creatures

Look inside
Monsters are real—and they're everywhere in nature! Animal Planet meets Godzilla in this nonfiction picture book that puts the "Ack!" into backyard science.
 
Some people think monsters are the stuff of nightmares—the stuff of scary movies and Halloween. But monsters can also be found right in your backyard. Animals like aye-ayes, goblin sharks and vampire bats may look scary, but they pose no threat to humans. Others, such as the prairie dog, seem innocent—cute, even—yet their behavior could give you goose bumps.
What makes a monster? Read this book to find out, if you dare. . . .
Jess Keating and David DeGrand, the author illustrator team behind Pink Is for Blobfish will have readers shrieking with laughter at this latest installment to the World of Weird Animals series.
  • NOMINEE | 2019
    Indiana Young Hoosier Award
  • SELECTION | 2018
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
  • FINALIST | 2017
    Cybils
JESS KEATING is a zoologist-turned-author who writes with the sort of wisdom you can only get from multiple crocodile bites and skunk sprays. Jess has been making up stories for as long as she can remember, and at the age of eight, she even started a library in her room (mainly so she could charge her brother late fees). She is the author of Pink Is For Blobfish, The Girl Who Built an Ocean, Shark Lady, and many more outstanding nonfiction picture books. She lives with her husband in Ontario, Canada, where she is hard at work on her next book. View titles by Jess Keating

Educator Guide for What Makes a Monster?

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

Monsters are real—and they're everywhere in nature! Animal Planet meets Godzilla in this nonfiction picture book that puts the "Ack!" into backyard science.
 
Some people think monsters are the stuff of nightmares—the stuff of scary movies and Halloween. But monsters can also be found right in your backyard. Animals like aye-ayes, goblin sharks and vampire bats may look scary, but they pose no threat to humans. Others, such as the prairie dog, seem innocent—cute, even—yet their behavior could give you goose bumps.
What makes a monster? Read this book to find out, if you dare. . . .
Jess Keating and David DeGrand, the author illustrator team behind Pink Is for Blobfish will have readers shrieking with laughter at this latest installment to the World of Weird Animals series.

Awards

  • NOMINEE | 2019
    Indiana Young Hoosier Award
  • SELECTION | 2018
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
  • FINALIST | 2017
    Cybils

Author

JESS KEATING is a zoologist-turned-author who writes with the sort of wisdom you can only get from multiple crocodile bites and skunk sprays. Jess has been making up stories for as long as she can remember, and at the age of eight, she even started a library in her room (mainly so she could charge her brother late fees). She is the author of Pink Is For Blobfish, The Girl Who Built an Ocean, Shark Lady, and many more outstanding nonfiction picture books. She lives with her husband in Ontario, Canada, where she is hard at work on her next book. View titles by Jess Keating

Guides

Educator Guide for What Makes a Monster?

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)