‘Even Monsters…’ draws fun comparisons between tots and terrors

You don’t wanna.

You don’t wanna get up in the morning and you don’t wanna go to bed. You aren’t going to eat what’s put in front of you, you’re not going to stop running in and out, you’re don’t want to turn the TV down, you won’t stop teasing your brother, and there’s no way you’re going to pick up your toys.

You just don’t wanna, but there are some things that everybody has to do. And in the new book “Even Monsters…” by AJ Smith, you’ll see what I mean.

Let’s say you don’t like to get up in the morning. You want to stay all snuggly and warm in your bed. You’re grumpy and you roar about it. You know that monsters make ferocious roars, too, but did you realize that even monsters have to get out of bed? They also have to put on clean clothes every day, they have to eat nutritious meals, and they have to clean up and comb their, um, fur. Monsters get cooties, believe it or not, and that’s just no good.

Leaving the house in the morning might make you snarl, so imagine if you were a monster! Yep, even they have to go to school, of course, because how else would they learn monster things? Somebody has to teach a monster his ABCs, drawing, math, science and manners.

(Imagine how much fun it is to go to Monster School !)

All this — getting up, getting ready, playing nice — makes you grumble but you’re quiet compared to a monster. “Everybody knows monsters GRUMBLE!” says AJ Smith, but monsters also know how to have fun. For instance, did you know that after school is a monster’s favorite time of day?

Do you want to howl and growl as the day ends? Guess what? Monsters do, too, but they also understand that they must clean their plates and eat what’s in front of them. And when their Mothers tell them it’s time for bed — guess what else? When the lights are out and it’s time for sleeping, monsters have a great big secret.

Yes, there’s something that even monsters don’t wanna…

Making a scene. Making a mess. Playing outside. Brushing those wobbly little baby teeth. Yep, your preschooler will find out who else does those things when you read “Even Monsters…” together.

Tantrum time should be tamed when toddlers have this book in their hands because Smith speaks to the hearts of the littlest readers. Accompanied by an almost-hidden cootie in each scene, Glubb and Skeebu (the creatures’ names, if you look closely) are mischievous and cuddly, pretending to be fierce though they’re really not. That means that these monsters won’t cause nightmares for sensitive children.

Best of all, if you’re the adult reading this book aloud, Smith didn’t forget you: nearly each page has details that will make you smile, too, and lots of grown-ups-will-notice jokes. And that, of course, makes “Even Monsters…” a book you and your 2-to-5-year-old will wanna.

View pubishes Terri Schlichenmeyer’s reviews of books for children weekly.