Any mother who has ever called her child a “monster” will enjoy reading “He’s Been A Monster All Day,” by Denise Brennan-Nelson, about a boy who overhears his mother saying that about him. It inspires him to imagine what it might be like to actually turn into a monster. Reminds you of “Where the Wild Things Are,” doesn’t it? Me too.

And like that classic, hilarity ensues here as our hero, in this case a “monster” himself, takes off on adventures. He decides he’s no longer scared of the monster under his bed, and instead makes it a pet named Ted. The story rhymes nicely, and the colorful illustrations by Cyd Moore add to the story — especially the appearance of the trusty cat who appears on most pages.

The moral is that being a monster can be lonely without a special someone to spend time with. No one at the beach wants to play with a monster, and eating an ice cream cone alone isn’t nearly as fun as when there’s someone to share it with.

My second grade assistant reviewers liked the book, and Miles commented that his favorite part was (spoiler alert) when the monster “said no manners and then farted and it stinked.”

So there’s obviously something that will appeal to everyone in this picture book for younger readers. A good book also for a parent with a child or two who might recognize themselves in the pouty protagonist.