This book was fun to read. It is about a little girl who is afraid of the monster in her closet. After her grandma acknowledges her fear with some words of wisdom, Wanda forms a friendship with the monster. The theme seems to be conquering fears and being kind in all situations. The story was told in an exciting way and the ending was not expected. I recommend adults to read this book to children who may be facing a fear or just want a good story time. ( )

Wanda's Monster is a cute story about a little girl who believes that there is a monster living in her closet. Her grandmother convinces her that the reason the monster is in there is because he is shy. Wanda starts doing little things to accommodate the monster in her closet. Wanda's grandmother tells her the monster only lives in closet for 17 days and nights. After the 17th day of living in Wanda's closet, the monster moves on to her cousins closet (lol). It is a really cute story, I would love to read this to my class. ( )

When Wanda becomes convinced that a monster is living in her closet, her parents do everything they can to convince her that there isn't, while her older brother makes fun of her for believing in monsters in the first place. Only her Granny believes her, suggesting that perhaps, rather than being afraid of the monster, Wanda should consider how it feels to live in a cold, dark closet. And so begins Wanda's gradual "adoption" of her monster, as she slowly shares her blessings - a soft pillow, a stuffed panda bear, the gift of stories - with her closeted friend. When Granny announces that the monster will soon be moving on, Wanda is distraught - until she thinks of the perfect new home for him...

Comparisons between Wanda's Monster and Mercer Mayer's There's a Nightmare in My Closet are probably inevitable, as both show a young child coping with their fear of the "thing" that lives in the closet - a thing that turns out to be as frightened as they are themselves. I appreciated the fact that Eileen Spinelli's heroine never really sees her monster, content to interact with him at a safe distance, as it underscores the fact that some things - even if we conquer our fear of them - remain a mystery. I also really liked that Wanda passes on the gift of compassion and insight, when it is her cousin Ruthie who is afraid. The watercolor illustrations by Nancy Hayashi are quite appealing, emphasizing the warmth of the family dynamic, rather than the sinister "what's in the closet?" aspect of the story. All in all, an engaging little book, ideal for those children who are afraid of the dark. ( )

This was an unusual text. The story of grandmother who, rather than dispelling her grandchild's fear of the monster living in her closet, encourages her granddaughter to develop a sympathetic relationship with said monster. Then, when the inevitable bond forms, the monster decides to pack and move on to a new closet belonging to the child's cousin from down the street so that the process can begin again. I liked it. ( )

I wish I had this book when I was a kid! It tells the story of a girl who believes there is a monster in her closet and gets scared. Then, her grandmother tells her that there really is one but they hide in there because people are mean to them. The girl then begins to be really nice to the monster. It even shows the adorable monster on the other side of the closet. I would read this book around Halloween time because of the monster theme but also that it may change their ideas about getting scared. ( )