She’s fought giants, clobbered dragons, now she’s gotta churn that butter?

Monsters Beware! by Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre is the third in the series of Claudette and her friend’s adventures. There is Giants Beware! and Dragons Beware! as well. And while this is a mostly standalone story, find the first two and read them first.

Of course, if I had done that I probably would not have read this one. First, let me say the writing is great. There is a lot going on, you are wondering how they will fight the monsters, churn that butter, plow the field, beat the Sea Queen and keep their hair styles neat. The characters are likeable (if you are supposed to like them) and I could see this as being adapted into a cartoon series (if it has not already).  Second, let me say the illustrations are fun. There are a lot of colors and details. They might not be the most diverse of characters, but the fact our hero is a heroine brings in a modern touch. Finally, the “icky parts” are done with humor and tastefully as one characters frozen gelato.

So why was this not a 5? Claudette is a little too focused on herself. She seems too young to be able to do all the things she has done. Why does her brother and friend like her? (Other than the fact the other kids in town are all stereotypically mean to the misfits?) A few themes also seemed to be a bit above younger age range (publisher notes have this as ages 7 to 10). And while yes, a strong 7-year-old could read, I am not sure they would always get everything.

This is a series that you parent/grandparent/aunt/uncle/cousin/teacher need to read before handing it off to a child. You need to find the right fit for this series.