This collection of short comics was an absolute delight to read. Gay has really created something nuanced, hilarious and joyful here. ( )

Lots of two page stories - all are fun, funny, and worth reading again. ( )

In nineteen very brief comics, Canadian author/artist Marie-Louise Gay explores any number of idiosyncratic but entertaining story-lines, covering what trees discuss with one another, the lies our mothers tell us, and the secret life of rabbits. Taken all together, the brief vignettes in Short Stories for Little Monsters paint a picture of young people fully engaged in their world, a world that is full of wonder, and hidden realities.

Best known as the creator of the Stella picture-book series - of which I have read the first title, Stella, Star of the Sea - Marie-Louise Gay demonstrates a wonderful grasp of the child's-eye view of the world in these stories, capturing the many hilarious and endearing ways that they interact with one another, and with the world around them. Particular favorites of mine were "Rhisonoros," in which a little boy attempts to figure out what the word means by pretending to his friend that he already knows, and "The Secret Life of Snails," in which snails are capable of leaving their own shells and visiting inside the shell of another. This is the sort of book that rewards rereading, as there are really so many different stories to ponder, and the colorful and imaginative artwork makes that process a real pleasure. Recommended to all little monsters, and to the adults in their lives looking for fun new picture-book/comics to keep them entertained. ( )